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A 55 minute flight was brutally stretched into a 5 hour ordeal. The extra 4 plus hours were filled entirely with immigration checks, security queues, and the uncertainty of whether visas would be approved. On June 15, the Iranian team departed from Tijuana, Mexico, to Los Angeles for the World Cup group stage matches. A journey of 220 kilometers consumed an entire morning.
A 55-minute flight was dragged into a 5-hour ordeal. The extra four-plus hours were entirely consumed by immigration checks, security queues, and the uncertainty of visa approvals. On June 15th, the Iranian national team departed from Tijuana, Mexico, to play a World Cup group stage match in Los Angeles. A journey of 220 kilometers swallowed an entire morning.
Two months prior, they had originally planned to set up their base camp in Tucson, Arizona. The United States directly denied visas to 15 members of the delegation, including the head of the football federation, Mehdi Taj. On May 25th, the camp was forced to relocate south to Tijuana. It sits right on the US-Mexico border, a mere 20 kilometers from San Diego. Escorted by Mexican military police, a World Cup team was quartered in a city separated from the stadium by an international border. When they reapplied for visas on June 14th, only four were approved. Head coach Amir Ghalenoei fumed in the post-match press conference: "We are the most oppressed team in the entire World Cup. The federation is not here, the media is not here, and the management is not here."
The federation chairman was watching on TV in Tehran.
That evening, SoFi Stadium was packed with 70,108 people. Among those seventy thousand seats were filled with compatriots who, at any moment, could rise up against the regime in the stands. Earlier that same day, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Curtis A. King ruled at an emergency hearing that FIFA had the right to ban the "Lion and Sun flag," citing "reasonable speech restrictions on private subjects within a private venue." This old national flag, absent from official ceremonies since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, became the most dangerous contraband of this World Cup. Local diaspora and fans had sued FIFA on June 11th, fighting tooth and nail for the right to bring the flag into the stadium. Despite filing the lawsuit, dozens of fans managed to smuggle the old flag into SoFi anyway. Six days later, when they played Belgium, even more flags flooded the stands, and images of security confiscating them row by row were broadcast globally.
Los Angeles is called "Tehrangeles" by the Iranian diaspora. The regime that people in the stands wanted to overthrow was precisely the one emblazoned on the players' jerseys. Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Dunyamali issued a stern warning on June 10th: if any unauthorized flags or political slogans appeared in the stadium again, Iran would withdraw from the tournament. Mehdi Taremi shook his head in the post-match press conference: "This is terrible, it affects the whole team. We just want peace." He called the trip "a disaster."
In their first match, they drew 2-2 with New Zealand. Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebi each scored a goal, but New Zealand's Eli Just tore through Iran's defense twice, scoring a brace. A team that had endured a grueling 5-hour journey from the border to the stadium had defenders whose legs felt like they were carrying sandbags, turning a split second too slow. As soon as the final whistle blew, without ice baths or recovery, the Iranian team was ordered to leave the country immediately and return to Tijuana overnight. Taremi complained they weren't even given time to catch their breath.
Five days later, against Belgium, their defensive line was repeatedly breached, relying entirely on Alireza Beiranvand to clean up on the goal line. He made seven saves. He had made a name for himself at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and eight years later, it was still him single-handedly holding Belgium to a 0-0 draw. Man of the match. That single point kept Iran's hopes of advancing alive.
After two rounds, Egypt had 4 points, Iran and Belgium both had 2, and New Zealand was at the bottom with 1 point. Iran only needed to win their final match to make history.
The last match was in Seattle. June 26th, against Egypt. Seattle declared the game an "LGBTQ Pride Match," coinciding with the city's Pride weekend. Two countries that criminalize homosexuality were set to play a do-or-die match under the rainbow flags of America's most politically correct city. Iran and Egypt jointly protested to FIFA, but the Seattle organizers responded simply: the event proceeds. FIFA President Gianni Infantino quickly intervened to smooth things over: "I must clarify, there is no 'Pride Match' at the World Cup. There is simply a World Cup match taking place in Seattle that happens to coincide with Pride weekend."
Six days earlier, Infantino had visited the Iranian team's locker room. He offered words of encouragement to the players who had just been ordered to leave the country overnight: "I know what you've been through. You are stronger than everything. You are making history, and the whole world is watching."
At that time, the chairman of the Iranian Football Federation was not present. His visa had not been approved.
The Iranian federation panicked. On June 19th, they filed a formal complaint with FIFA, accusing the US of "retaliatory actions" and "serious political interference in sport." The dispute dragged on until June 24th, when the US Department of Homeland Security relented, allowing the Iranian team to enter the country two days early. No longer would they have to flee immediately after their matches.
Tomorrow night, at Seattle's Lumen Field. Win and advance. Rainbow flags will be raised in the stands. As for the old national flag banned by the court, no one knows from which corner it might be unfurled again.
As for the federation chairman, he remains in Tehran, watching on TV.