Iran forced to leave the United States after 2-2 against New Zealand; Ghalenoei and Taremi leave FIFA
Iran had to leave Los Angeles immediately back to base in Tijuana after a 2-2 draw against New Zealand, much to the chagrin of coach Amir Ghalenoei and captain Mehdi Taremi.
Iran were forced to leave the United States immediately after their 2-2 draw against New Zealand, prompting coach Amir Ghalenoei and captain Mehdi Taremi to lash out at FIFA. The match took place in Los Angeles, while Iran's camp was based in Tijuana, Mexico for the tournament. According to Ghalenoei, it was agreed that the team would stay in Los Angeles and return the next day, but after the final whistle they suddenly received an order to immediately fly back to Tijuana.
"We were not even given time to recover," said Ghalenoei. "After the match, we were told to leave immediately. Rest time was very important for us, but instead of resting, we had to take a plane back to Tijuana right away. It worried us a lot."
The coach added, it is not clear who decided on the sudden schedule change. "Honestly, we don't know why we're being sent back. It's like someone else is dictating our plan. We were supposed to arrive two days before the match and spend the night afterwards to recover, before flying out the next day at lunchtime. We have no idea why it was changed. I think we might be the most damaged team in this World Cup."
<figure style="margin:2rem 0;overflow:hidden;border:1px solid #e2e2e2;background:#f9f9f9"><img src="https://webp.vi.cdn.pxr.nl/news/2026/06/16/62ddc8ca2192110842344d89534a34f23080abb4.jpg?width=1200" alt="Image" style="width:100%;height:auto;object-fit:contain" loading="lazy" /></figure>Even Taremi couldn't hold back his annoyance. "We have to leave Los Angeles now and it's not good for us. I think FIFA should help us more. Everything feels like a disaster," said the striker.
Iran's campaign is at the center of heightened tensions in the region, causing their preparations to be chaotic. The Iranian FA even tried to move the group matches outside the United States, but was reportedly rejected by FIFA.
Iran next face Belgium on Sunday at 9:00pm (Netherlands time), before taking on Egypt on Saturday, 27 June, at 5:00am.