Iran's national football team has sent a defiant message to the United States upon their arrival in Mexico for the 2026 World Cup, wearing pin badges commemorating 168 children killed in a US airstrike. The team was forced to change their training base from Arizona to Mexico at the last minute due to escalating diplomatic tensions.
Arrival in Tijuana
The Iranian squad landed at Tijuana International Airport on Sunday after a three-week training camp in Turkey. Players were seen wearing badges with the number 168, representing the casualties of a missile strike on a school in Minab on February 28. The Pentagon has yet to release details of the incident, stating only that it is under investigation.
Visa Disputes and Travel Restrictions
Iran's World Cup campaign begins against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 16, followed by group matches against Belgium and Egypt on the US west coast. The team has been required to enter and leave the US on the same day as matches, with some officials denied visas. According to Iranian state television, 14 staff members, including Iran Football Federation secretary-general Hedayat Mombeini and vice president Mehdi Mohammad Nabi, have been refused US visas. Iran's envoy Abolfazl Pasandideh stated, "We can enter in the morning and we must leave the same day."
Mexico's Support
Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed that Iran's team is welcome to stay in Mexico. "We have no reason to deny them the possibility of staying in Mexico," she said. "The United States does not want the Iranian team to stay overnight, but they are going to play three matches there. So they asked us: 'Can they stay overnight in Mexico?' And we said: 'Yes, no problem.'"
US-Iran Tensions
US President Donald Trump earlier stoked tensions by suggesting it was not appropriate for Iran to participate in the World Cup, citing safety concerns. He has since backtracked, but the visa row has reignited tensions. The Iranian Embassy in Ankara issued a furious statement after US ambassador Tom Barrack praised the US Embassy in Ankara for handling Iran's visas. "You cannot whitewash conduct that violates FIFA regulations and breaches the United States' host obligations merely by praising yourselves," the statement read. "Why do you not say that visas were denied to a large portion of the managerial and executive staff, technical advisers, and others who are an integral part of any national football team? You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran's national football team to its highest level."
