Iran’s World Cup Team Arrives in Los Angeles Ahead of Opener
Iran’s national football team landed at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday after relocating its base camp to Mexico. The arrival marks the first time a host nation at war with another country has received that country’s team at the World Cup.
France 24Iran’s national football team arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday after a short flight from Tijuana, Mexico. The A320 aircraft touched down on runway 25L at 4:11 p.m. ET under sunny skies. The team had moved its base camp from Arizona to Mexico late last month following joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that began in late February.
Police security was already in place at the team’s hotel.
Coach Amir Ghalenoei and striker Mehdi Taremi are scheduled to hold a press conference at Los Angeles Stadium.
This is the first World Cup since 1930 in which a host nation is scheduled to receive a country it is at war with. Iran and the United States have never previously met at the tournament. Members of the Iranian American community have planned to gather near the stadium later on Sunday to protest what they called the Iranian government’s ongoing human rights abuses.
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