The Iranian team left the Tijuana hotel ahead of their first World Cup match on Saturday.Victor Medina/Reuters
Iran’s national soccer squad left their Tijuana base camp to a rousing send-off on Sunday, with supporters lining five-deep on a packed sidewalk outside their hotel on the eve of their World Cup opener against New Zealand in Los Angeles.
Fans chanted “Team Melli” – Persian for “national team” – as the players emerged from the hotel and walked towards the waiting bus.
Iran’s soccer team arrives in Mexico to train ahead of the World Cup
Many of the players waved and smiled at those who had gathered while some members of the delegation took video of the scene with their phones.
Iran moved their World Cup base camp from a sports complex in Arizona to Mexico late last month after the U.S. and Israel conducted joint strikes on Iran beginning in late February.Victor Medina/Reuters
One supporter held a yellow sign with black lettering reading, “Iran, you will never walk alone. Mexico stands with you.”
A young boy perched on someone’s shoulders clutched the official Panini FIFA World Cup 2026 sticker album, open to the Iran squad page.
At one point, the crowd sang in Spanish, “Iran, brother, you are Mexican now.”
The Iranian community in Tijuana is around 20 people, and much smaller than that of Los Angeles, which is home to the largest Iranian community outside Iran.Victor Medina/Reuters
Iranian soccer federation President Mehdi Taj stood outside the hotel as the players left with many of the supporters following the bus down the street as it drove away.
Iran players describe how the war affects their World Cup preparations
The Iranian community in Tijuana is tiny - around 20 people - and much smaller than that of Los Angeles, which is home to the largest Iranian community outside Iran.
A young fan with a book showing the Iran squad outside the hotel before the match.Victor Medina/Reuters
Coach Amir Ghalenoei and striker Mehdi Taremi were scheduled take part in a press conference at Los Angeles Stadium at 6:45 p.m. ET.
Members of the Iranian American community have planned to gather near Los Angeles Stadium later on Sunday to protest what they called the Iranian government’s ongoing human rights abuses.
Iran moved its World Cup base camp from a sports complex in Arizona to Mexico late last month after the U.S. and Israel conducted joint strikes on Iran beginning in late February.
Iran's left winger Mohammad Mohebbi signs a ball outside the hotel.Victor Medina/Reuters
This is the first World Cup since its inception in 1930 in which a host nation is set to receive a country it is at war with.
Monday’s Group G fixture against New Zealand at Los Angeles Stadium will be played against the backdrop of the U.S. war with Iran, adding a charged atmosphere to a contest between two nations who have never met at the World Cup.