The Iranian national football team arrived in Mexico on Sunday for the 2026 World Cup, but their entry was marred by a significant diplomatic issue as the United States denied visas to several members of their support staff.
Upon landing at Tijuana airport, head coach Amir Ghalenoei expressed his frustrations, stating, “We should have been here last week to properly adjust to the 12-hour time difference. In these tournaments, ethical and human factors should take precedence, which sadly seems to have been overlooked in our case.”
After departing from their training base in Turkey a day earlier, the team touched down around 5am local time (1pm BST) in Tijuana, where they will remain throughout the tournament, despite all their group-stage matches being held in the United States.
Security was notably tight as the players and coaching staff exited the aircraft, with a presence of Mexican national guard troops. A small group of fans, waving Iranian flags, gathered distantly to welcome the squad.
The visa dispute has surfaced just days ahead of Thursday’s kickoff for the World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Coach Ghalenoei expressed gratitude towards FIFA for their assistance in securing entry but remarked, “We are upset about this treatment. This has never happened to us before.”
Team captain Ehsan Hajsafi also voiced his concerns, questioning the timing of the visa approvals. “Why was it so late? In the past year, we’ve endured two wars imposed on our country,” he stated, affirming that the team is “100% ready” and confident in their ability to advance past the group stages.
Iran is scheduled to compete in Group G, with matches in Los Angeles against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21, followed by a game in Seattle against Egypt on June 26. This World Cup will mark the first time a host nation plays against a country it is currently in conflict with.
The squad spent nearly three weeks training in Turkey, during which they applied for visas to enter Mexico, Canada, and the United States. It was only on the eve of their flight that the players were informed they had received their US visas, as reported by Tom Barrack, the US envoy to Turkey.
However, the Iranian embassy in Turkey stated that support staff had been denied entry. Reports indicate that 15 administrative and management personnel are affected, according to an Iranian diplomat and state television.
The embassy condemned what they deemed “deliberate and discriminatory treatment” directed at the national football team and demanded that FIFA hold the US accountable for breaching its regulations.
Adding to the controversy, Iran’s ambassador to Mexico revealed that the team had been informed they must enter and exit US territory on the same day as their matches.
“We can arrive in the morning and must leave the same day,” stated Abolfazl Pasandideh, Iran’s envoy. This claim contradicted earlier statements from the team’s spokesman, Amir Mahdi Alavi.
Alavi had previously mentioned, “The visas granted to the national team are multiple-entry visas, allowing the team to arrive one day before the first match and two days prior to subsequent games.”
FIFA regulations stipulate that a team’s coach must hold a press conference the day before each match at the corresponding venue.
The Iranian football federation, whose president Mehdi Taj reportedly faced visa denial, branded the decision as “political interference in sports at its worst.”
A US official did not directly address the visa denials but commented, “We will not permit the Iranian team to exploit this system to infiltrate the United States under false pretenses.”
