Iran to play New Zealand in Los Angeles at 2026 World Cup

Iran will play its opening 2026 World Cup match against New Zealand in Los Angeles on Monday. The fixture marks the first time a national team has competed on the soil of a host nation with which it is at war. Hostilities between Iran and the United States have intensified in recent days after a fragile ceasefire failed to hold.

Attempts at reaching a negotiated settlement have sputtered. Iran’s squad trained in Tijuana, Mexico, after three weeks at a camp in Turkey. The training headquarters was switched from Arizona to Tijuana, and players arrived in Tijuana this week.

U.S. visas this week. The team will travel to Los Angeles on the day of the match and return to Mexico immediately afterwards. Iran will play Belgium in Los Angeles on 21 June 2026 and Egypt in Seattle on 26 June 2026.

Local authorities designated the Egypt match as Seattle’s Pride match. U.S. entry because of past membership in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

FIFA banned displays of Iran’s pre-1979 national flag inside World Cup stadiums. An officially sanctioned World Cup video posted this week depicts Iran’s players as representatives of the regime’s Shia Islamist ideology. The video features footage of the players set to a religious eulogy referencing the imams Ali and Hussein and the Battle of Karbala.

Reza Pahlavi posted a video highlighting the Iranian regime’s persecution of footballers. Iranian officials stated the team will stop playing if banned flags are displayed or anti-regime slogans are chanted during a match. -based Iranians do not want to support the national team.