Iran in FIFA World Cup 2026 — Team Melli ejected before heading to USA for World Cup

Iran held a farewell ceremony for its national football team on Wednesday in preparation for playing the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The players, dressed in red and black tracksuits, were presented on a stage in Tehran’s central square in Enghelab, where crowds of people cheered them on, according to videos broadcast on state television.

Coach Amir Ghalenoei and the president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, were also present.

“The national team players at the World Cup will represent the people, the country’s fighters, the leader (Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei) and the country,” Taj said.

“Our national team is the national football team of wartime,” he said, adding that the team would be a “pillar of authority and resistance.”

People at the ceremony waved flags and chanted chants and slogans. Some held signs and photos of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed during the US-Israeli attacks on Iran that sparked the war in the Middle East.

“For the blood of the martyrs, sing the anthem with determination and without hesitation,” one sign read.

Iran, which will be based in Tucson, Arizona during the World Cup, faces New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in Group G. The Iranians open their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.

Published on May 14, 2026