Iran players walk onto the pitch at the stadium one day before their FIFA World Cup match against New Zealand in Inglewood, California, near Los Angeles, on June 14, 2026
| Photo Credit: AP
Iran's football team arrived in the United States for the first time at this World Cup on Sunday (June 14, 2026), landing at Los Angeles International Airport just before a peace deal between the nations was announced. The squad arrived after a short flight from Tijuana, Mexico, where they left their base camp earlier to a rousing sendoff ahead of their opening game against New Zealand at Los Angeles Stadium on Monday. The A320 aircraft touched down on runway 25L at 4:11 p.m. ET on its second landing attempt under sunny skies at the airport, which is about 15 minutes from the Los Angeles Stadium that will host Iran's World Cup opener against New Zealand on Monday.The players were expected to head to their hotel where a police security presence was already in place. Sidewalks were being blocked off by police, who were extending concertina security coils along sections of the front of the hotel.Coach Amir Ghalenoei and striker Mehdi Taremi are scheduled to take part in a press conference at Los Angeles Stadium at 6:45 p.m. ET.
