Iran players wear #168 pins as World Cup camp opens in Mexico

Iran's players arrived in Tijuana, Mexico on Sunday sporting pins marked "#168" – a tribute to the 168 schoolgirls killed in the American bombing of a school in Minab on February 28. The symbolic gesture came as the squad touched down for their relocated World Cup training camp, after their originally planned base in Tucson, Arizona was scrapped under diplomatic pressure from the United States. The incident adds another layer of tension to an already strained build-up, with Iran's group-stage matches set to be played on American soil and visa delays continuing to disrupt the team's support staff. Head coach Amir Ghalenoei now faces the challenge of keeping his squad focused on football amid circumstances that grow more politically charged by the day.