Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei said his team was unexpectedly ordered to leave the US immediately following a 2-2 draw with New Zealand in their opening Group G match of the FIFA World Cup on June 15, local time, at Los Angeles Stadium.
According to the latest reports from The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse, Ghalenoei told a post-match press conference that the Iranian national team had been instructed to depart the US immediately after the game. Earlier reports had indicated that Iran had been granted permission to stay overnight in the US during the tournament.
Ghalenoei did not disclose who issued the order. The team had originally planned to remain overnight in California to maximize recovery time following its first World Cup match. However, after the game, players and staff were informed that they had to board a flight immediately and return to their base in Tijuana, Mexico, approximately 140 miles (225 kilometers) away.
"They didn't even give us time to recover," Ghalenoei said through an interpreter. "After today's match, they informed us that we had to leave immediately. It's very important for us to have time for recovery, but we've been told to return to our camp in Tijuana, and we are really troubled by that."
Ghalenoei also said he believed Iran might be "the most oppressed team at the World Cup."
"Perhaps our team is the most oppressed one in the whole World Cup," Ghalenoei said. "The head of the federation is absent. Our media isn't here, our management, many of them aren't here. We used to have part of the coaching team to help with substitutions, but we didn't have that. … That's why I think we are the most oppressed team in the World Cup."
Iranian forward Mehdi Taremi echoed those concerns after the match.
"We have to leave Los Angeles right now, and it's not good for us," Taremi said. "Everything is like a disaster actually for us."
Questions surrounding Iran's participation in the 2026 World Cup have persisted because of the conflict involving Iran and the resulting complications, including visa delays, changes to team accommodations, and cross-border travel arrangements.
According to previous reports, Iran had only been permitted to enter the US on matchdays and was required to return to its base in Tijuana immediately after each game. Earlier on June 15, the Iranian Football Federation confirmed to Deutsche Presse Agentur (dpa) that the national team would be allowed to stay overnight in the US during the tournament. Observers said a memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US may have helped facilitate the arrangement.
Under the tournament schedule, all three of Iran's group-stage matches are being played in the US. Iran faced New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15 and will play Belgium there on June 21 before taking on Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
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