Iran Team Arrives in Los Angeles for World Cup Opener Amid Protests and FIFA Flag Ban

Iran’s national football team arrived in Los Angeles on Sunday to prepare for its opening 2026 World Cup match against New Zealand at SoFi Stadium on Monday at 02:00 BST Tuesday. The squad had relocated its base camp from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, after concerns over visas, security and the political climate.

An agreement to halt hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz was announced on Sunday.

Striker Mehdi Taremi, who has been capped 105 times for Iran and played at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, said the political situation had created tension from the moment the team arrived. "This kind of tension undermines the joy of the World Cup," Taremi said. "I felt the tension from the first moment we arrived.

Manager Amir Ghalenoei told the BBC that the disruption had affected the team’s focus. "Without any doubt, this kind of behaviour has impacted the spirit of football," Ghalenoei said. "Football is supposed to bring nations and cultures together.

It is about bringing joy. " He added that the team arrived late and had little time to adjust. Los Angeles, nicknamed "Tehrangeles" because of its large Iranian diaspora, will host the match under FIFA’s ban on the pre-revolutionary Lion and Sun flag.

Activist Arezo Rashidian is helping organise demonstrations outside SoFi Stadium against the flag ban. "You don’t come to Los Angeles and tell us we can’t fly the Lion and Sun flag," Rashidian said. "This is the largest Iranian community outside Iran.

Many of us came here after the revolution. " Taremi said the players aimed to represent all Iranians. "As players of the national team, we play for every single Iranian, whether in the diaspora or in Iran," he said.