[International] 2026 World Cup / Arriving in the US Amidst US-Iran Peace Overture, Iran's World Cup Opener Against New Zealand

The Iranian football team arrived in the United States for the World Cup competition on the 14th. They landed at Los Angeles International Airport just before the two countries announced the signing of a peace agreement. Departing from Tijuana, Mexico, the team arrived in Los Angeles after a short flight. Earlier, they received a warm send-off from the public as they left their training base in Tijuana. The Iranian team is scheduled to play their first match today (the 15th) at the Los Angeles Stadium against New Zealand. This A320 aircraft successfully landed on runway 25L at 4:11 PM Eastern Time (4:11 AM Taiwan Time on the 15th) on its second attempt at the sunny airport. The airport is about 15 minutes away from the Los Angeles Stadium, where Iran's first World Cup match will be held on the 15th against New Zealand. The Iranian team is expected to head to their hotel first, where police presence has already been deployed. Police have cordoned off sidewalks and erected security wire coils along the area in front of the hotel. Head coach Amir Ghalenoei and forward Mehdi Taremi are scheduled to attend a press conference at the Los Angeles Stadium at 6:45 PM (6:45 AM Taiwan Time on the 15th). Iran's match against New Zealand in Group G of the group stage will take place against the backdrop of the war between the United States and Iran and the newly announced peace agreement, adding tension to this encounter between two teams that have never faced each other in the World Cup. After the United States and Israel began joint airstrikes against Iran at the end of February, Iran relocated its World Cup training base from a sports center in Arizona, United States, to Mexico. On the 14th, US President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on social media that the agreement to end the war between the United States and Iran would be formally signed in Switzerland on the 19th. (Editor: Zhong Jin-long)