Enghelab Square, in Tehran, held a farewell ceremony for the Iran national team this Wednesday (13). A crowd greeted the players who will represent the country in the 2026 World Cup, to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Dressed in red and black clothes, the athletes spoke on a stage. They will leave on Monday (18) for Antalya, Turkey, where they will begin their preparation and play two friendly matches.
In the United States, the team will be based in Tucson, in the state of Arizona. The city promises to welcome the delegation despite the tense political situation – Iran has been under attack from the United States and Israel since February.
“The national team players at the World Cup will represent the people, the country’s fighters, the leader [o líder supremo Mojtaba Khamenei] and the country. Our national team is the football team of wartime”, said the president of the Iran Football Federation, Mehdi Taj. For him, the team will be a “pillar of authority and resistance”.
People present at the ceremony waved flags and chanted and chanted slogans. Some participants held banners and photos of Ali Khameni, the supreme leader murdered in the attacks that triggered the war in the Middle East.
“By the blood of the martyrs, sing the national anthem firmly and without wavering,” read a banner in Enghelab Square.
Iran is in Group G of the World Cup. They will face New Zealand, in Inglewood, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, on June 15, Belgium, on June 21, also in Inglewood, and Egypt, on June 27, in Seattle.
