The Iran team arrived in Mexico for the World Cup wearing brooches in honor of the victims of an attack on a school in the south of the country at the start of the war with the USA and Israel, in a gesture that reinforces the weight of the war in the Middle East on the team’s participation in the tournament.
The players arrived in Tijuana with golden pins emblazoned with the number 168, in reference to the people killed in the February 28 attack on an elementary school in Minab, in southern Iran.
The episode had already been remembered by the Iranian team before a friendly match in March, in the city of Antalya, Turkey, when the players entered the field holding pink and purple school bags during the playing of the national anthem.
Neither the US nor Israel claimed responsibility for the attack, which was heavily criticized by the UN and human rights groups. The American military claims to be investigating the case.
The Iranian delegation traveled on a private jet from Antalya to Tijuana after changing its training base at the last minute for the World Cup. The initial plan was to prepare in Tucson, Arizona, but the team chose to stay in Mexico amid difficulties in obtaining visas to enter the United States. Part of the delegation, especially members with ties to the Revolutionary Guard, had requests denied.
Iran will play all three group stage games in the USA, but it is not yet clear when the team will be able to enter the country for their debut, scheduled for June 15, in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand. Afterwards, the team must return to Tijuana between matches and return to Inglewood to face Belgium on June 21, before heading to Seattle, where they play Egypt on June 26.
If they advance in second place in their groups, Iran and the United States could still face each other in the knockout stage, in a match scheduled for July 3, at the Dallas Cowboys stadium, in Arlington, Texas.
