Iran facing 24-hour US entries and staff visa refusals at World Cup | OneFootball

Iran's seventh World Cup is already mired in US visa wrangles, with restrictions and staff refusals complicating group games.

AFP reported Iran's ambassador in Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, said players must enter and leave US soil on matchdays only, capped at 24 hours. Teams normally arrive two days early and speak to the media.

Iranian state TV said visas for the squad and coaches were issued, but 15 administrative and support staff have not received US visas. Fars said federation chief Mehdi Taj, a former Revolutionary Guards commander, is among them and was turned back in Canada in late April.

The dispute has simmered since 25 March 2025, when Iran qualified for a tournament co-hosted by a rival state. The team first mooted a boycott, then asked to move games to Mexico, without success. Mid-March Donald Trump posted that Iran were welcome but their presence was not appropriate, and on 30 April Gianni Infantino said Iran would play in the United States.

The Iranian embassy in Türkiye called the refusals discriminatory, replying to US ambassador Tom Barrack in Türkiye, who said players and essential staff had visas. FIFA said immigration decisions rest solely with the host government, and it is not involved in visas.

Iran are due in Los Angeles on 15 and 21 June, then Seattle on 26 June. Despite the headwinds, defender Arya Yousefi said the team were even more motivated to carry the flag.

Source: L'Équipe