Iranian Men’s Soccer Team Ordered to Leave US Early

After their opening match in the World Cup on Monday, the Iranian men’s soccer team was instructed to depart the United States sooner than planned, despite initial arrangements for them to stay overnight in Los Angeles.

Coach Amir Galenoei mentioned that he received orders to return to their training base in Mexico shortly after the tournament began with a 2-2 tie against New Zealand. He didn’t specify who had issued the order for the early departure.

Initially, the team intended to spend the night in California to aid their recovery, but staff informed them post-game to board a flight immediately to Tijuana, around 140 miles away.

“They didn’t even give us time to recover,” Galenoei shared through an interpreter. “After today’s game, we were told, ‘You need to leave immediately.’ It’s crucial for us to have recovery time, but being told to get on a flight back to camp is really troubling.”

Iran’s captain, Mehdi Taremi, noted that their trip from Tijuana to Los Angeles involved five hours of travel and security checks, which is usually a quick journey.

Galenoei expressed confusion over the situation, remarking, “Honestly, I’m not sure why they’ve sent us back. It feels like someone else is controlling our plans. We were supposed to arrive two days before, stay overnight, and return by noon tomorrow.” He seemed puzzled by the sudden change.

Taremi appealed for more assistance, indicating, “FIFA needs to do more for us. Everything feels like a disaster at the moment.”

The Iranian team has two remaining group matches: one against Belgium in Inglewood on Sunday, before heading to Seattle to face Egypt the following week.

Outside the stadium, many Iranian-Americans protested against their government, with some turning their backs during the national anthem. Despite FIFA’s attempts to restrict them, several fans displayed the lion and sun emblem from Iran’s official flag before the 1979 revolution.