Iran national team honors Minab 168 victims ahead of World Cup
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
Iran's national football team arrived in Mexico ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup wearing commemorative lapel pins honoring victims of the Minab school tragedy.
Players were seen wearing gold-colored pins bearing the number "168" as they disembarked from their flight in Tijuana on Sunday. The number refers to the reported death toll from an 'Israeli'-US strike that hit an elementary school in the southern Iranian city of Minab on February 28.
Most of those killed were children, according to Iranian officials.
Iran's embassy in Hungary highlighted the gesture in a social media post on Monday, referencing the symbol that has become a prominent memorial for the victims.
Breast badge #168 #Minab on the sports team uniform pic.twitter.com/ICviGvOkV1
— Iran Embassy Hungary (@IRANinHUNGARY) June 8, 2026
Tribute carried to World Cup preparations
The tribute is not the first by Team Melli. Before a warmup match in Antalya, Turkey, in March, Iranian players held pink and purple school backpacks during the national anthem to commemorate children killed in the attack.
The school was located near a Revolutionary Guard facility. While neither the United States nor 'Israel' has publicly accepted responsibility for the strike, the incident has drawn criticism from international organizations and human rights groups.
The United States military has said it is investigating the incident and maintains that it does not intentionally target civilians.
Mexico chosen as training base
Iran's delegation traveled to Tijuana aboard a private jet from Turkey after changing its World Cup preparations plans. The team had initially intended to establish a training base in Tucson, Arizona, before opting for Mexico instead.
The move comes amid ongoing visa complications involving members of the Iranian delegation. While Iranian players have reportedly received approval to compete in the tournament, some delegation members with alleged ties to the Revolutionary Guard have faced visa restrictions.
Iran is scheduled to play all three of its group-stage matches in the United States.
The team will open its World Cup campaign against New Zealand on June 15 in Inglewood, California. Iran will then face Belgium on June 21 before concluding the group stage against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
Between matches, the squad is expected to return to its training base in Tijuana.
