7 June 2026

Iran’s preparation for the upcoming World Cup has been thrown into chaos following reports that the national football team will only be permitted to enter the United States on the days of their matches. The host nation has been accused of engaging in “discriminatory treatment” after several members of Iran’s delegation were denied visas.

Key figures within Iran’s coaching and support staff were refused entry due to long-standing political tensions between the two nations. The Iranian embassy in Turkey strongly criticised the US government, calling the decision “the worst possible form of politically-biased interference in sport”.

In a statement shared on X, the Iranian embassy questioned: “Why do you not mention that visas were denied to a large portion of the managerial and executive staff, technical advisers, and others who are an integral part of any national football team?” The post was a response to US envoy Tom Barrack’s earlier claim that visas had been granted to Iranian players.

The embassy further added, “You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran’s national football team to its highest level.”

Iran’s national team has since departed for Mexico without several essential staff members who were denied visas.

The US State Department maintained that it had issued “the visas necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup,” asserting that “we will not allow the Iranian team to misuse this system to smuggle terrorists into the United States under false pretences.”

In response to the diplomatic impasse, Iran’s football federation arranged a last-minute relocation of the team’s training base from Arizona to Mexico. However, Iran’s ambassador to Mexico revealed a new restriction: the team will reportedly be allowed to enter the US only on matchdays and will be required to leave immediately after each game.

World Cup regulations stipulate that all teams should arrive at the match venue a day prior to their fixture and participate in pre-match press conferences. Iran may not be able to comply with these obligations, according to Iranian envoy Abolfazl Pasandideh, who told reporters, “We can enter in the morning and we must leave the same day,” citing the visa conditions imposed by US authorities.

This latest development follows months of uncertainty surrounding Iran’s participation. Earlier in March, former US President Donald Trump had suggested on Truth Social that it might not be “appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”

Iran is scheduled to begin its Group G campaign on 15 June against New Zealand in Los Angeles. Their second fixture will be against Belgium at SoFi Stadium on 21 June, before concluding the group stage with a match against Egypt in Seattle on 26 June.