Iran World Cup team will enter, leave US on match days amid visa dispute: Official

Iran’s national football team has been instructed to enter and leave the United States on the same day as its matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, says an Iranian official, as diplomatic tensions continue between Tehran and Washington despite the country's participation in the tournament.

Iran’s Ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, told reporters on Sunday that visa restrictions imposed by the United States would prevent the team from remaining on American soil beyond match days.

“We can enter in the morning and we must leave the same day,” Pasandideh said, explaining the conditions attached to the visas issued for the Iranian delegation.

The restrictions come amid a growing dispute over the visa status of several members of Iran’s World Cup delegation. While visas were approved on June 5 for players and some staff members, Iranian officials say a number of key support personnel have been denied entry permits.

According to Iranian state media, those still without visas include several senior officials from the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI), among them federation executive director Mehdi Kharati, secretary-general Hedayat Mombini, and media director Mohsen Motamedkia. Federation chief Mehdi Taj has also reportedly been affected.

The US State Department has rejected claims that necessary personnel were excluded. In a statement provided to multiple media outlets, a department official claimed that “the visas necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup, including for athletes and necessary support staff, have been issued.”

US denies visas to Iranian football staff despite hosting duties

The United States has denied visas to several Iranian national football team officials and staff ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite its duties as one of the hosts of the global event.

The disagreement triggered a sharp response from Iran’s Embassy in Turkey, which accused Washington of discriminatory treatment.

In a statement posted on social media, the embassy said a “large portion of the managerial and executive staff, technical advisers, and others who are an integral part of any national football team” had been denied visas.

“You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran’s national football team to its highest level,” the embassy said, noting that the restrictions are preventing the team from participating under normal sporting conditions.

The FFIRI has also condemned the visa decisions, describing them as politically motivated and contrary to international sporting principles.

“The US government, continuing its hostile actions ​against the national team … made a non-sporting and completely political decision to refuse visas for key managerial and administrative members of the Iranian national football team,” it ​said.

The federation went on to say that it would pursue the matter with FIFA, stressing that football’s governing body has a responsibility to ensure that all members of a participating delegation can carry out their duties during the tournament.

The visa dispute has already forced changes to Iran’s World Cup preparations. The team originally intended to establish its training base in Tucson, Arizona, but abandoned those plans amid uncertainty over entry conditions. Instead, the squad has relocated to Tijuana, Mexico, where it will remain throughout much of the competition.

Iran are scheduled to play all three of their group-stage matches in the United States, facing New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21, and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

Questions also remain over how the travel restrictions would affect FIFA regulations, which require national team coaches to attend pre-match press conferences at match venues on the day before games. FIFA has not yet publicly commented on the dispute.

The visa denials come despite months of coordination between FIFA and Iranian officials to ensure the team’s participation in the tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The uncertainty surrounding the visas had cast doubt over Iran’s ability to properly prepare for the tournament.

The issue has drawn wider attention because it comes only months after the joint US-Israeli aggression against Iran, which disrupted domestic football activities and forced many Iranian players to train under difficult conditions.

Iran’s professional football league was suspended in the aftermath of the attacks, while national team camps were relocated to Turkey and later Mexico.

Iranian officials have repeatedly said that the host countries are obligated to guarantee equal treatment for all qualified teams under the principles of fair play.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk