Iran's national football team conducted their first training session open to journalists at their Mexico-based camp on Thursday, offering a preliminary view of a squad whose World Cup participation has been overshadowed by the ongoing conflict with the United States.
Having relocated their training base to Tijuana from the originally designated location in Arizona, the team has maintained a low profile since their arrival for the tournament last Sunday. The press was granted a fifteen-minute window to observe a select group of players engaging in warm-up drills during Thursday's session.
Of the 26 members of "Team Melli," only twelve players were present for the training. Notably, star striker Mehdi Taremi was absent from the observed group. Dressed in green jerseys, the players executed light jogging routines on the training pitch of Club Tijuana, followed by stretching and core-strengthening exercises.
Iran is scheduled to commence their tournament campaign against New Zealand on Monday in Los Angeles. An official team representative confirmed to Agence France-Presse that the squad is slated to enter the United States on Sunday, with plans to stay overnight prior to their opening match.
Last week, Iran's ambassador to Mexico indicated that the squad would only be permitted entry into the U.S. on match days and would be required to depart immediately afterward. This announcement followed reports that U.S. President Donald Trump had declared a "great settlement" to conclude the war with Iran, anticipating an agreement to be finalized in Europe by the weekend.
Iran's participation in the World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, occurs three months after military actions initiated by the U.S. and Israel against Iran, which led to a wider conflict across the Middle East and significant global economic repercussions.
