Players of the Iranian national football team have been issued American visas ahead of the World Cup – the team will play all three group stage matches in the United States, a White House spokesman told Reuters. At the same time, according to Iranian media, some of the team’s administrative and technical staff still have not received permission to enter the country.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump's administration “does not see a problem” with issuing visas to the Iranian team. However, he stressed that the authorities will not allow the Iranian regime to use the tournament to allow individuals associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to enter the country.
“We will not allow the delegation to include people who are not related to sports and are associated with the IRGC or similar structures. We will be watching this very closely,” Rubio said.
US Ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack wrote on social media site X (formerly Twitter) on Friday that he was proud of the work of the US embassy staff in Ankara who processed visas for the Iranian national team.
“Sport knows no borders and we look forward to welcoming athletes and fans from around the world,” Barrack wrote.
The issuance of visas became known ten days before Iran's first match. On June 15, the team will meet with the New Zealand team in Los Angeles (California). There, the Iranians will play against the Belgian national team, after which they will compete against Egypt in Seattle (Washington).
Iran's news agency IRNA confirmed that all Iranian national team players, without exception, have successfully received permits to enter the United States. However, the agency reported that some members of the delegation were left without visas.
“The problem of paperwork has become one of the main topics of discussion in the leadership of the national federation, as it can directly affect the organizational and technical processes within the team. A significant part of the coaching staff, executive committee employees, medical and administrative and technical support staff still remain without American visas,” the agency said in a statement.
A source familiar with the situation told The New York Times that visas were denied to more than a dozen members of the delegation, including coaches, Iranian Football Federation officials, physical training specialists, analysts and medical workers. According to the publication, among those who were refused was the President of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Tai, who previously served as a commander in the IRGC.
While the team awaited a decision on visas, the players prepared for competitions in southwest Turkey. The team initially planned to locate its training base in Tucson, Arizona, but at the last moment moved it to Tijuana, Mexico, located near the American border. This decision was made jointly with the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) in order to minimize the team's stay in the United States. However, championship regulations require participants to be in the host country at least two days before each match to participate in mandatory media events and training at the tournament's stadiums.
The team is expected to arrive in Tijuana early Sunday morning, Reuters reported.
According to the agency, this is the first World Cup since the tournament's inception in 1930 in which the host country hosts the national team of a country with which it is at war. In March, the Iranian Ministry of Sports considered the possibility of refusing to participate in the tournament, but already in April, FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced that the Iranian national team would participate in the World Cup, including matches that would be held in the United States.
