Iran's team arrived in Los Angeles, USA, on Monday for the FIFA World Cup 2026. However, the Iranian team will have to leave the United States immediately after their match.
Iran's first match will be played against New Zealand on June 16, 2026, at the famous SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
The match started at 6:30 AM IST (Indian Standard Time).
This match is being watched by the whole world because a conflict between Iran and the US has just ended. After that, the Iranian team is playing this match, and the referee of this match is Mexico’s Arturo Ramos.
Their first match is against New Zealand, followed by a second match against Belgium on 21 June. Their third match is also scheduled for 21 June against Egypt.
Iran’s team will play all their group stage matches in the United States.
Their first and second matches will be held at the Los Angeles stadium (SoFi Stadium), while their third and final group match will be played at Seattle Stadium (Lumen Field).
16 June 2026 — Iran vs New Zealand — Los Angeles (USA)
21 June 2026 — Iran vs Belgium — Los Angeles (USA)
26 June 2026 — Iran vs Egypt — Seattle (USA)
Iran’s team is going through a situation that has never happened in FIFA history before.
Due to strict restrictions imposed by the US government and ongoing diplomatic disputes, the Iranian team is not allowed to stay in the United States. Therefore, after the match against New Zealand, the team will leave the US within 24 hours.
Due to US restrictions and ongoing diplomatic disputes, the Iranian team’s base camp is located in Mexico. After the match, the team will arrive at Los Angeles (LAX) Airport and then directly return to Mexico.
Iran’s team is facing a major protest in the United States, which is being carried out by Iranian opposition activists.
Iran’s team has not come to the US in full because the US has issued visas only to the coach and players, while support staff has not been granted visas. Therefore, the team size is limited to 11 members.
Iran is playing in Group G.
In a press conference, the team head coach and captain said that they are playing for the people of Iran.
The coach said that the team is completely away from politics and is playing for Iran.
The captain, Mehdi Taremi, said that
“We have come here to play football for all the people of Iran, whether they live inside Iran or outside the country.”
He said that football is a game that connects people, and the main purpose of playing in the World Cup is to make people happy.
Photo: @Wikimedia commons
In the FIFA World Cup, Iran’s squad had several injury concerns in the first match. Star players like Denis Eckert, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, and Mehdi Torabi are injured, and it is not yet confirmed whether they will play.
Meanwhile, Ruzbeh Cheshmi is fit for the match. However, key player Ryan Thomas is also injured, while striker Chris Wood is available and is expected to play.
Iran’s possible squad could be like this.
Goalkeeper:
Alireza Beiranvand — Iran’s No. 1 goalkeeper for three consecutive World Cups.
Defenders (Back Four):
Aria Yousefi—Right-back (or Sadegh Moharrami)
Shoja Khalilzadeh — Centre-back
Ali Nemati — Centre-back (or Hossein Kanani)
Milad Mohammadi — Left-back
Midfielders:
Saeid Ezatolahi — Defensive midfielder (returned after recovering from injury)
Saman Ghoddos — Central midfielder (one of the team’s main creative players)
Mohammad Mohebi — Attacking midfielder / No. 10
Forwards / Strikers:
Mehdi Ghayedi — Left winger / forward
Mehdi Taremi—Captain and main striker (the team’s attack is centered around him)
Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh—Right winger (or Ali Alipour)
