Iran football officials join fans at Tijuana World Cup watch party
Key Takeaways
- Iran football officials joined fans at a World Cup watch party in Tijuana.
- The gathering followed Iran’s move from Tucson to Tijuana after entry issues.
- Iran fought back twice to earn a 2-2 draw against New Zealand.
Federation vice president and Iranian ambassador praise Mexican hospitality as supporters gather at taco grill event to watch Iran face New Zealand
First Vice President of the Iran Football Federation Mehdi Mohammad Nabi and Iran's Ambassador to Mexico Abolfazl Pasandideh joined dozens of supporters at a World Cup taco grill event in Tijuana on Monday to watch Iran's opening tournament match against New Zealand.
The gathering brought together football officials, diplomats and fans, who followed every moment of the Group G clash that ended in a 2-2 draw.
The event took place after Nabi was among 15 members of Iran's delegation denied entry to the United States, forcing the team to relocate its World Cup base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico.
“From the day we arrived here, we feel like we are in the same country,” Nabi stated, adding, “We have found a very deep friendship in the hearts of Mexicans and Iranians.”
Footage showed supporters reacting emotionally throughout the match, celebrating Iran's goals and responding to the twists and turns of a closely contested encounter.
New Zealand took an early lead through winger Elijah Just before Iran fought back twice to level the score. Mohammad Mohebi scored Iran's second goal in the 64th minute to secure a point.
“Unfortunately, our team, our national team, has had many obstacles along the way. It has faced several challenges, but we are a very experienced team; we are professionals,” Nabi said. “We, on behalf of the team, let's say the management, are going to do everything possible to ensure the players aren't distracted and that they fully concentrate on the game.”
The draw left all four teams in Group G level on one point after Belgium and Egypt also shared the points in their opening fixture.
Pasandideh also thanked residents of Tijuana for their hospitality.
“Our team is going to miss the good people of Tijuana a lot.”
The ambassador also welcomed the recently announced agreement to halt hostilities between Tehran and Washington, saying that “in a war, nobody wins”.
“Obviously one of the benefits will be that they will commit to not attacking Iran again. For that same reason, the US military bases around Iran will also be evacuated, which could also be a gain. And we've also realised that having access to nuclear science and enrichment is legitimate, it's a legitimate right of Iran that is already being recognised,” he claimed.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
