The Iranian national team played their first match since the Middle East conflict began and lost to Nigeria 2-1.
Published March 28, 2026
The Iranian men’s national team posed with black armbands and school bags on their backs as the national anthem played before their match against Nigeria, in memory of the victims of the strikes at Iranian elementary schools on the first day of the Middle East war.
An airstrike on a school in the southern Iranian city of Minab on February 28 killed at least 170 people, including students and teachers.
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The attack occurred on the day the United States and Israel launched a war by attacking all of Iran.
Iranian players, including former FC Porto and Inter Milan striker Mehdi Taremi, carried pink and purple satchels with ribbons before the kick-off of a friendly against Nigeria in the Turkish town of Belek on Friday.
Iran lost the match 2-1.
Iran’s foreign minister on Friday accused the United States of carrying out a “planned and staged attack” on the school.
The New York Times reported that preliminary results of a US military investigation indicate that a US Tomahawk cruise missile hit the school due to misaiming.
The newspaper reported that the U.S. military was bombing an adjacent Iranian base, and that the school building was once part of that base.
According to the newspaper, the target coordinates were set using old data.
US President Donald Trump initially suggested that Iran itself may be responsible, even though Iran does not have Tomahawk missiles.
Iran has qualified for this summer’s World Cup finals, but has called for the match to be moved from the United States to Mexico after President Donald Trump warned that the “lives and safety” of the players would be at risk if they took part.
