Iran Coach Criticizes Travel Arrangements After World Cup Draw with New Zealand
Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei has voiced frustration over his team’s treatment at the FIFA World Cup after their 2-2 draw against New Zealand in California.
Speaking after the match at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Ghalenoei said Iran had been forced to leave the United States immediately after the game and return to their training base in Tijuana, Mexico.
The coach described the situation as unfair and said the team had faced difficult travel conditions since arriving for the tournament. 
“We spent so much time traveling and were not given enough time to recover,” Ghalenoei told reporters. “After the match, we were told we had to leave immediately.”
Iran’s World Cup preparations have been affected by travel complications. The team had originally planned to stay in Arizona but later moved its base camp to Tijuana, Mexico, despite all of its group-stage matches being scheduled in the United States.
Under the original arrangement, Iran would travel to the U.S. shortly before each game and return to Mexico afterward. However, the team said its plans were changed again following the draw with New Zealand.
Ghalenoei said the constant travel has made recovery more difficult for his players.
“I think perhaps our team is the most oppressed team in the whole World Cup,” he said.
Iran captain Mehdi Taremi also expressed disappointment over the situation. He revealed that FIFA President Gianni Infantino visited the team after the match but said the squad still faces significant challenges.
“For sure, he wants to help us, but there are other issues too,” Taremi said.
The striker also criticized the absence of senior officials from Iran’s football federation, saying several members of the team’s support staff were unable to travel to the United States.
“Everything is a disaster for us,” Taremi added.
Despite the difficulties, Iran earned a valuable point in their opening Group G match. Goals from Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebbi secured a 2-2 draw against New Zealand.
The match attracted strong support from Iranian fans in Los Angeles, home to one of the largest Iranian communities outside Iran.
“There were many Iranians here with different views and beliefs, but they all supported the team,” Ghalenoei said. “That is a victory for all of us.”
Iran will return to Inglewood for their next Group G match against Belgium before facing Egypt and star forward Mohamed Salah in their final group-stage fixture.
With all four teams in Group G drawing their opening matches, Iran, New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt each begin the second round of games on one point.
