Iran's World Cup squad wear #168 pins on arrival in Mexico to honour school strike victims

Iran’s World Cup squad arrived in Tijuana, Mexico, on Sunday wearing gold lapel pins inscribed with the number “168” — a tribute to the victims, most of them children, killed in a February 28 missile strike on an elementary school in Minab, southern Iran.

The attack, widely attributed to the United States, hit a school reported to be near a Revolutionary Guard base. Iran’s embassy in Hungary acknowledged the pins in a social media post on Monday, explicitly referencing Minab. Neither the U.S. nor Israel has accepted responsibility for the strike; the U.S. military says it is investigating and would never intentionally target civilians.

The Minab tribute is not the first time the squad has drawn attention to the incident. In March, ahead of a warmup match in Antalya, Turkey, players displayed pink and purple school backpacks during their national anthem — a gesture that drew widespread attention to the same attack, which has been criticised by the United Nations and human rights organisations.

Iran’s preparations for the World Cup have been complicated by significant logistical difficulties. The delegation originally planned to base themselves in Tucson, Arizona, but switched to Tijuana two weeks ago after visa processing delays from U.S. authorities. Some members of the delegation with reported ties to the Revolutionary Guard have been denied entry to the United States.

Whether the full squad will be permitted to cross the border ahead of their opening group-stage fixture remains unclear. Iran face New Zealand on June 15 in Inglewood, near Los Angeles, followed by Belgium on June 21 in Inglewood and Egypt on June 26 in Seattle. The team is scheduled to return to Tijuana between matches.

Should both Iran and the United States finish second in their respective groups, the two nations could meet in the round of 32 on July 3 at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium in Arlington, Texas — a fixture that would carry considerable political weight given the current state of relations between the two countries.