immediate departure – Iran’s men’s team left Los Angeles for its training base in Tijuana late Monday night after its World Cup opener ended in a 2-2 draw with New Zealand—an exit the US government says was always planned “the evening of the match.” Coach Amir Ghalenoei and players
The night after Iran’s opening World Cup match in Los Angeles ended 2-2 against New Zealand, the team’s plans collapsed into a single instruction: get on the plane.
Coach Amir Ghalenoei and members of the Iranian squad made it clear they were upset about being forced to fly back to their training base in Tijuana, Mexico late on Monday night. In the coach’s account, Iran expected time in California—specifically to spend the night there—before returning to camp.
Ghalenoei said his team was told to leave immediately after the game rather than being given any opportunity to recover. “They didn’t even give us time to recover,” Ghalenoei said, according to the Associated Press. “After the game today. they said to us. ‘You have to leave immediately.’ It’s very important for us to have time for recovery. (but) we are asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Tijuana. and we are really troubled by that.”.
The US government, however, portrays the departure differently. In an interview that CBS News aired Monday. Andrew Giuliani. the executive director of the task force. said the team would depart “the evening of the match.” A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told CNN that the Iranians agreed to those terms.
That mismatch—what the Americans describe as an agreed plan and what the coach says the team was actually told—adds to the tension that has shadowed Iran’s participation in the tournament. The dispute is playing out as Iran competes at a World Cup co-hosted by a country with which it is currently at war. a reality the team has said has complicated preparation and disrupted basic arrangements.
The friction has not been limited to timing. Months before the tournament, there was speculation that Iran might protest the war and not play. At one point, the Iranians were in discussions to move their games outside of the United States. They ended up showing up. and their three group games are scheduled in the US: Monday’s draw with New Zealand in Los Angeles. Sunday’s showdown with Belgium also in Los Angeles. and a matchup against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
Even so, Iran has faced a chain of obstacles that officials and players say have made the tournament harder. The delegation has dealt with visa issues. with members of their delegation not allowed into the United States for their games. The Iranian ticket allotment being revoked by FIFA. travel bans for many Iranian fans who may have hoped to travel to the USA for games. and conflicted feelings among the diaspora in the US have all added to the strain. according to the provided account.
The American explanation for the timing of Monday night’s departure is that returning to Tijuana immediately after the match was always the plan. But Ghalenoei said the team itself was caught off-guard. “We don’t know why they are returning us, to be honest,” he said, per AP. “I think it’s very strange. It seems like others are doing the planning for us. The decision-making for us is being made elsewhere. We were supposed to come two nights before the game. and we were supposed to stay tonight to recover and return tomorrow at lunchtime. We have no idea why.
“I think our team is perhaps the most oppressed in the World Cup.”
CNN reached out to FIFA for comment on Iran’s late-night departure from Los Angeles.
Behind the sport. the question is not only why the team left so fast—it’s who controlled the schedule at all. For the coach, the immediate flight meant losing time to recover. For the US government, the departure was settled in advance. In a tournament Iran is playing under the weight of an active conflict. that difference is now at the center of the latest flashpoint.
Iran World Cup New Zealand coach Amir Ghalenoei Tijuana Los Angeles immediate departure evening of the match Giuliani Department of Homeland Security FIFA
Wait so they were in LA and then just got kicked out? Kinda wild.
I don’t buy it, if it was “planned” why is the coach crying about recovery. Like they couldn’t just sleep on the plane or something? Sounds like everyone is confused on purpose.
Andrew Giuliani said it was the evening of the match, but the coach is saying they were forced right after. So which is it, did they misunderstand a translator or did the US mess it up? Also Tijuana training base like why not stay in California, Mexico trip seems unnecessary.
This is why I hate all this World Cup stuff, it’s always politics. If the coach wanted time to recover then he should’ve scheduled it… unless the US is secretly messing with athletes, which wouldn’t shock me. They say “agreed terms” but coaches always say they were treated unfairly. I just wish they’d show the full conversation or whatever.