Iran's national team received an emotional send-off from supporters in Tijuana on Sunday,14 June as they departed for Los Angeles ahead of their World Cup opener against New Zealand.
Fans lined the pavement outside the team's hotel, five deep in places, waving Iranian flags and chanting "Team Melli" as the players emerged and boarded their bus.
Many of the squad, dressed in navy polo shirts and beige trousers, smiled and waved back. Some filmed the scenes on their phones as supporters cheered them on.
One fan held a sign reading: "Iran, you will never walk alone. Mexico stands with you."
A young boy perched on someone's shoulders proudly displayed the official Panini World Cup sticker album opened to Iran's squad page.
At one point, the crowd broke into a chant in Spanish: "Iran, brother, you are Mexican now."
The warm reception highlighted the support Iran have found in Mexico after relocating their World Cup base camp from a sports complex in Arizona late last month. The move came after the United States and Israel carried out joint strikes on Iran beginning in late February.
Iranian Football Federation president Mehdi Taj watched on as the team left the hotel, while supporters followed the bus down the street as it pulled away.
Although Tijuana's Iranian community numbers only around 20 people, the team are expected to enjoy strong backing in Los Angeles, home to the largest Iranian community outside Iran. Tens of thousands of Iranian-Americans live in the city, often referred to as "Tehrangeles".
Iran arrived in Los Angeles on Sunday after a short flight from Tijuana, where the team had earlier received an enthusiastic send-off from supporters ahead of their World Cup opener against New Zealand.
The squad's Airbus A320 touched down at Los Angeles International Airport at 4:11 p.m. local time under clear skies. The airport is a short drive from Los Angeles Stadium, where Iran will begin their Group G campaign on Monday.
The team were expected to head straight to their hotel, where a police security presence was already in place ahead of their arrival.
Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei and striker Mehdi Taremi are due to speak to reporters at Los Angeles Stadium on Sunday evening.
The match will be played against an extraordinary political backdrop. It is the first World Cup since the tournament began in 1930 in which a host nation is set to welcome a country it has been at war with.
Members of the Iranian-American community are also expected to gather near the stadium to protest against what they describe as the Iranian government's ongoing human rights abuses.
Amid the political tensions, Iran's players will attempt to keep their focus on football as they prepare to face New Zealand in a World Cup meeting between the two nations for the first time.
The U.S. military said it completed its latest wave of strikes on Iran, a two-hour operation that hit dozens of targets. Washington described the stri...
China will "resolutely retaliate" and safeguard its interests if the United States insists on acting unilaterally over an import ban on new Chinese ro...
Prince Harry, Sir Elton John and five other high-profile claimants could face a legal bill of up to $46 million after losing their privacy lawsuit aga...
French DJ and electropop musician Kavinsky, whose atmospheric sound shaped a generation of electronic music fans, has died at the age of 50, French authorities said on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia said its overnight strikes on Iran-backed group targets in Iraq were carried out in self-defence and warned it would take further military action if the groups launched new attacks against the kingdom.
Yemen warned the Houthis were seeking to replicate Iran's Strait of Hormuz strategy in the Red Sea, as U.S. President Donald Trump said there was a "good chance" of a deal with Tehran but warned strikes could resume if talks failed.
Moscow should stop linking Russia-Armenia relations to Azerbaijan, Baku's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada has said, after Russia again raised the Collective Security Treaty Organisation's role during the former Garabagh conflict.
Pakistani businesses are warning that growing difficulties in obtaining United Arab Emirates (UAE) visas are disrupting trade, delaying investment and limiting access to a key export market, despite both Islamabad and Abu Dhabi saying there is no official visa ban.
Prince Harry, Sir Elton John and five other high-profile claimants could face a legal bill of up to $46 million after losing their privacy lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail, London's High Court heard on Wednesday.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has given the organisation's 211 member associations until 19 September to approve a private investment proposal that could significantly increase funding for national football federations.
For more than two decades, Iran-backed armed groups have become some of the most powerful players in Iraq.
The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed a nonbinding resolution opposing any presidential pardon or clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted associate of late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted three tankers and stopped them in Iran's southern waters early on Wednesday. It also announced a ballistic missile attack on two U.S. bases in Jordan.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment