Players held small backpacks as Iran's national soccer team used a match against Nigeria on Friday to honor the victims of a deadly missile strike on an elementary school. More than 165 people were killed, most of them children, when a February 28 strike, likely launched by the US, hit the school in southern Iran. ADVERTISEMENTDuring the national anthem Friday, the Iranian team honored the memory of the slain children by placing small pink and purple school backpacks in front of them. Nigeria won 2-1 in a game that was a World Cup tuneup for Iran, ahead of the tournament being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. Separately on Friday, Iran's judiciary threatened to seize the property of soccer player Sardar Azmoun, two semiofficial news agencies said.

Source: The Telegraph March 28, 2026 06:39 UTC