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Iran Football Team Travel and World Cup Arrangements

Wednesday, June 10, 2026
5 min read
Iran Football Team Travel and World Cup Arrangements

Iran’s football team is heading to Los Angeles, apparently. They announced Tuesday that they'll be flying there the day before their first group-stage game against New Zealand. It feels like a lot happening all at once.

But where exactly will they be staying? They won't actually be in L.A. for long. The team is set up to be based in Tijuana, Mexico , for the whole tournament period. That’s despite playing some of their initial matches right there in the United States.

The schedule itself is a bit complicated. They open their FIFA World Cup run against New Zealand on Monday in Los Angeles. Then comes Belgium in the same city on June 21st. And then they face Egypt down in Seattle on June 26th. Just jumping between places, you know?

All this travel and hosting has been really overshadowed by the ongoing tension with the United States. It’s a complicated backdrop for the whole thing.

And it wasn't just the players dealing with travel paperwork. There was a mess with the support staff. They managed to get visas for some of the players, sure. But fifteen members in management and administrative roles were denied them. That visa dispute flared up right before the World Cup even kicks off on Thursday.

The tournament itself is hosted by three countries: the US, Mexico, and Canada. So there’s this whole layer of international arrangement underneath the sporting events.

Iran's spokesperson, Amir Mehdi Alavi, gave some details about the travel plans. He said the delegation will use a charter flight to get to the United States. And then he laid out the timing for the games. The team travels to the host city one day before the match against New Zealand. Then, for the next two matches, they’ll be at the venue two days ahead of time.

Separately, the Sports Minister, Ahmad Donyamali, brought up a different kind of issue entirely. He warned about what happens on the field. If officials see any flag or symbol that isn't the one for the Islamic Republic of Iran, or if there are slogans being chanted that break the rules well, they have to stop the match. It’s the organizers’ job to sort it out, he added.

FIFA rules are pretty clear on this too. They forbid political symbols at World Cup matches. That stuff has to stay off the field entirely. It just highlights how sensitive these events become when politics bleed into sports.

Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board

Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.

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