Iran have been told they must enter and leave US soil on the same day of matches while ‘integral’ members of their coaching staff have been denied visas to the World Cup.
The country’s ambassador to Mexico, where the squad is staying thanks to the ongoing conflict with the US, said on Saturday that their players would have to be in and out of the US within 24 hours.
Iran – whose group matches are in Los Angeles and Seattle – were due to stay in Tucson, Arizona but will now fly in.
Iranian national team depart Turkey for training base in Mexico ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup
‘We can enter in the morning and we must leave the same day,’ Iran’s envoy Abolfazl Pasandideh told reporters.
US officials said visas have been issued to all players and ‘necessary support staff’ ahead of their 15 June opener.
They added that Iran would not be allowed to ‘abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretences’.
United States president Donald Trump with FIFA top brass Gianni Infantino
However, Iran’s embassy in Turkey said visas had been denied to ‘a large portion of the managerial and executive staff’ and accused the Americans of ‘politically biased interference in sport’. They claimed visas had been denied to a ‘large portion of the managerial and executive staff’ and ‘technical advisers’.
Iranian state media claimed the head of the football federation and his deputy were among those denied entry.
Iran open their World Cup account against New Zealand in California on June 16, before facing Belgium and Egypt in California and Seattle, respectively.
