On the evening of June 15, Pacific Time, Iran’s national team kicked off their World Cup campaign with a hard-fought 2-2 draw against New Zealand at the LA Stadium in the US.
The road to this match was anything but smooth for the Iranian squad, who faced visa delays, last-minute venue changes, and a rollercoaster of entry restrictions tied to their strained relationship with the host country.
On June 15, the Iranian Football Federation confirmed that the team would be allowed to stay overnight in the US during the tournament. Some observers believe a recent memorandum of understanding between the two nations may have helped ease the situation.
According to the schedule, all three of Iran’s group-stage matches are taking place on US soil: against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and 21, and against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
Earlier reports suggested the Iranian team could only enter the US on match days and had to immediately return to their base in Tijuana, Mexico. But now, the federation says they can stay overnight when appropriate.
To fulfill pre-game obligations, the entire Iranian squad showed up at the LA Stadium on June 14, with head coach Ghalenoei and striker Taremi attending a press conference together.
Ghalenoei shared that distractions unrelated to football had made preparation tough. The team spent five hours just traveling from their base to the airport before flying to the US.
In recent interviews from Mexico, Iranian players admitted they’re constantly thinking about the situation back home while preparing for games, and they’re frustrated with how the US has handled security and visa issues.
Overall, Asian teams have been putting up impressive performances against European heavyweights so far in this World Cup, with all Asian qualifiers remaining undefeated. Before Iran took the field, Japan—ranked 18th in the world—managed a stunning 2-2 draw against the powerhouse Netherlands, ranked 8th.
In other group-stage matches, South Korea beat the Czech Republic 2-1, Qatar tied Switzerland 1-1, and Australia defeated Turkey 2-0.
Off the pitch, after months of back-and-forth, Iran and the US have finally agreed on a 14-point ceasefire memorandum of understanding. The text of the Islamabad Memorandum is now finalized and will be officially signed in Switzerland this Friday, June 19.
Meanwhile, several Iranian embassies have been posting AI-generated videos on social media showing the national team playing World Cup matches alongside children from Minab, in memory of the 168 kids who lost their lives in an Israeli and US attack.
