Iran fly back into USA for Belgium clash days after being expelled post-opening draw

Iran have returned to the United States to face Belgium in their second 2026 World Cup group game, just days after being compelled to leave the country immediately following their opening 2-2 draw with New Zealand in Los Angeles.

Manager Amir Ghalenoei revealed that his squad were given no time to recover from the hard-fought draw before being instructed to board a plane back to their training base in Tijuana, Mexico — a 136-mile journey from the match venue. The team had already endured significant disruption before a ball was kicked, having been relocated from Arizona to Tijuana shortly before the tournament began, with several squad members also reportedly refused entry into the United States.

“They didn’t even give us time to recover,” Ghalenoei said. “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. They delayed our arrivals, and they are forcing us to go back early without time for recovery. They are making the situation more and more difficult, facing us with more hurdles, but we’re not going to let that stop us from doing our best.”

StrikerMehdi Taremi was equally forthright in his criticism, describing the overall situation as a “disaster.” “FIFA told us you have to go because it’s our preparation,” he said. “It’s supposed to be tomorrow morning recovery, then we fly to Tijuana, then return to Los Angeles again. But now, right now, we have to go back. We don’t have our media, we don’t have our president of the federation, we don’t have the vice-president and some staff also, which is so important for us. Everything is a disaster, actually, for us. It’s not the right thing for us, but we don’t follow the excuse. We’re just looking forward, we’re having hope for the next two games, and we will do our best for our people.”

Mohammad Mohebi, who scored Iran’s equaliser against New Zealand, added his voice to the chorus of frustration. “We need fair competition,” he said. “I think we were meant to come here two days before the game.”

Iran have now completed the return trip from Tijuana to Los Angeles ahead of their match against Belgium. Whether they will once again be required to return to Mexico before their final group fixture against Egypt at Seattle Stadium remains unclear.