Iran Land in Los Angeles for World Cup After US Peace Breakthrough

Iran’s national football team arrived in Los Angeles on Sunday, hours after Washington and Tehran announced a major peace agreement that brought months of fighting between the two countries to an end.

The players travelled from Tijuana, Mexico, where they had been based in the build-up to the tournament. Before leaving, hundreds of fans turned out to farewell the squad. Their entry into the United States created a rare World Cup moment: for the first time in the competition’s almost century-long record, a host country received a team from a nation with which it had recently been at war.

Iran’s route to the opener had been clouded by politics and security fears. After US and Israeli forces carried out airstrikes on Iran in late February, killing the country’s supreme leader and several other senior figures, Iran’s place at the tournament became uncertain. The Iranian football federation also held discussions with FIFA about shifting all of the team’s games to Mexico.

Those concerns led officials to keep the squad on the Mexican side of the border instead of housing them in the United States. The agreement, confirmed by President Donald Trump and helped along by Pakistani mediation, removed the last major obstacle.

Los Angeles, which has the largest Iranian community outside Iran, gave the team a strong welcome. Security was increased around the team hotel after the players arrived.

Iran must go back to Mexico after each fixture. They face New Zealand today, Belgium on June 21, and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.