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Rabat – Iran’s national team will only be allowed to enter the United States on match days during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh.
Pasandideh said the players must leave US territory on the same day after each match and return to their base in Tijuana, Mexico.
The decision adds another challenge to Iran’s World Cup preparations, as the team will have to manage travel, recovery, and match-day routines under unusual conditions.
“The Iranian national team players will only be allowed to enter the United States on the day of the matches,” Pasandideh said. “They must leave American territory on the same day after the match ends.”
The ambassador also said that 15 Iranian officials have still not received US visas to attend the tournament. He added that Iran hopes the issue will be resolved before the team’s opening match against New Zealand on June 15.
Iran had first planned to set up its World Cup base in Arizona. However, the team later moved its camp to Tijuana because of visa problems and political tensions between Tehran and Washington.
The Iranian squad arrived in Mexico after holding a training camp in Turkey. Reports said the players received their US visas shortly before traveling, but several members of the delegation were still denied entry.
The situation has created a rare World Cup scenario. Iran will be based in Mexico, but all of its group-stage matches will be played in the United States.
The team is expected to travel across the border only when needed for matches before returning to Mexico.
Iran are drawn in Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand. Their first match will be against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.
They will then face Belgium, also in Los Angeles, before playing Egypt in Seattle.
The visa dispute comes at a sensitive time, with relations between Iran and the United States still tense. Iranian officials have criticized the restrictions, saying they affect the team’s preparation and go against the spirit of the tournament.
US officials, meanwhile, have said that players and necessary staff have been granted visas, while other applications remain subject to security checks.
