Iran’s football team lands in LA as security measures intensify at team hotel

The national football team of Iran national football team has arrived in Los Angeles just one day before its second group-stage match against Belgium national football team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Iranian delegation is staying at a hotel in the Manhattan Beach area, where access has been restricted exclusively to guests. Police units have been deployed around the building, with patrol vehicles stationed on nearby roads and the main entrance partially blocked, Ria Novosti reports.

“We arrived around midday local time,” a team assistant told the agency. The late arrival is reportedly linked to strict US travel regulations, which prohibit the squad from remaining in the country outside match days, forcing players to return to Mexico after each game.

Iran’s Football Federation has said it intends to file a complaint with FIFA, arguing that such restrictions undermine the principle of equal conditions for all participating teams.

By Jeyhun Aghazada