New Jersey, USA - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Banner on stadium reading "FIFA World Cup 2026"
2. Various of banner for FIFA World Cup 2026

Los Angeles, California, USA - June 14, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
3. SOUNDBITE (Farsi, with simultaneous interpretation in English) Amir Ghalenoei, head coach, Iran national football team:
"First of all, I would like to let you know that we are here to play football. And we are here to represent the respectful people of Iran, be the Iranians inside Iran or be the Iranian diaspora. We only think about our country, we are not political people, and slogan of FIFA is this that football is separate from politics."

Kansas City, Missouri State, USA - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. Various of signs of "FIFA WORLD CUP 2026"
5. Kids taking photos with World Cup inflatable ball

Los Angeles, California, USA - June 14, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
6. SOUNDBITE (Farsi, with simultaneous interpretation in English) Mehdi Taremi, striker, Iran national football team:
"We, the players of the national team, we play for every Iranian, be it the diaspora or be it Iranians in the country. Look, in every country, people have different opinions but we are here as footballers to unite people and we will try and bring joy to all Iranians, irrespective of where they live. And everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and we respect them, but we are here to bring joy to the Iranian people. We do not get involved in politics, we are here to play football."

FILE: Los Angeles, California, USA - June 2024 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
7. Various of cityscape, traffic

Iran's national football team said Sunday it represents all Iranians at home and abroad and seeks to bring unity and joy through football as it competes in the FIFA World Cup in the United States.

Already in Los Angeles, the team is set to face New Zealand on Monday evening, a fixture head coach Amir Ghalenoei said underscores its focus on football and on representing Iranians worldwide.

"First of all, I would like to let you know that we are here to play football. And we are here to represent the respectful people of Iran, be the Iranians inside Iran or be the Iranian diaspora. We only think about our country, we are not political people, and slogan of FIFA is this that football is separate from politics," said Amir Ghalenoei.

Iranian forward Mehdi Taremi echoed the coach's remarks, saying the national team seeks to unite Iranians despite differences in opinions and backgrounds.

"We, the players of the national team, we play for every Iranian, be it the diaspora or be it Iranians in the country. Look, in every country, people have different opinions but we are here as footballers to unite people and we will try and bring joy to all Iranians, irrespective of where they live. And everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and we respect them, but we are here to bring joy to the Iranian people. We do not get involved in politics, we are here to play football," said Mehdi Taremi.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the biggest in history, featuring a record number of teams and matches and, for the first time, being hosted by three nations -- Mexico, Canada and the United States -- from June 11 to July 19.