Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei has described his side as perhaps the “most oppressed team in the whole World Cup” after revealing that the team was forced to leave Los Angeles and return to their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, immediately after their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Iran began their campaign with a hard-fought 2-2 draw against New Zealand at SoFi Stadium on Monday, but the result was overshadowed by concerns over the team’s travel arrangements. Speaking after the match, Ghalenoei expressed frustration that the squad’s travel plans had been altered at short notice.
The team’s base camp was moved from Arizona to Tijuana weeks before the tournament despite all of Iran’s Group G matches being scheduled in the United States. Under the original arrangement, the squad was expected to fly into the U.S. two days before each game and return to Mexico the day after.
However, Iran travelled to Los Angeles on Sunday and, according to reports, were instructed to leave immediately after Monday’s match. A source said forward Mehdi Torabi’s visa had expired, prompting authorities to request the team’s return to Tijuana.
“We spent so much time in the air commuting, they didn’t even give us time to recover,” Ghalenoei said through an interpreter. “After the game today, they said to us, ‘You have to leave immediately.’ It’s very important for us to have time for recovery, but we’ve been told to return to our camp in Tijuana.”
Iran captain Mehdi Taremi echoed the coach’s concerns and urged FIFA to provide greater support. He revealed that FIFA president visited the team in the dressing room after the match. Taremi also lamented the inability of Iranian Football Federation president and several support staff members to travel to the United States, describing the situation as “a disaster” for the team.
Responding to the criticism, White House World Cup task force executive director defended the United States’ handling of the matter. In an interview with ABC News, Giuliani said visas had been issued to all 31 Iranian players and coaching staff to ensure competitive balance, while acknowledging that some officials connected to the team had been denied entry.
Despite the off-field difficulties, Iran enjoyed strong backing from supporters during the match. More than 70,000 fans attended the game, with many members of the large Iranian community in Los Angeles cheering the team on. Goals from Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebbi secured a draw for Iran, who will next face Belgium before concluding their group-stage campaign against Egypt. With all four teams in Group G drawing their opening matches, each side sits on one point heading into the second round of fixtures.
