Iran to travel to US day before its first World Cup match

Iran's national football team is navigating a challenging path to the World Cup, with visa complications affecting its delegation just days before the tournament begins.

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In accordance with FIFA’s programme, the team delegation will travel to the United States on a charter flight.

The team's federation announced that while players have secured visas for the United States, where they will play their group stage matches, not all administrative and management staff have received theirs. This dispute has cast a shadow over Iran's participation in the global event, which is jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Despite the visa hurdles, the Iranian delegation is scheduled to travel to the United States on a charter flight from their training base in Tijuana, Mexico. According to the federation's spokesperson, Amir Mehdi Alavi, the team will arrive in the host city one day before their opening match against New Zealand on June 15, and two days prior for subsequent games.

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The team will travel to the host city one day before the match against New Zealand, and for the following two matches, we will be at the host venue two days before the game.

Adding to the pre-tournament tension, Iran's Sports Minister, Ahmad Donyamali, issued a warning regarding the display of symbols in stadiums. He stated that team officials have a duty to stop matches if any flag or slogan other than that of the Islamic Republic of Iran is displayed, placing responsibility on organizers to rectify such situations.

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If, in the stadiums where we play, we see any flag or symbol other than that of the Islamic Republic of Iran, or if norm-breaking slogans are chanted, the team official will certainly have a duty to stop the match.

Iran's campaign kicks off against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, followed by matches against Belgium in the same city on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 26. The team's participation has been marred by these visa issues, with Tehran reporting that approximately 15 administrative and management staff members have been unable to enter the United States.

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It is the responsibility of the organisers to rectify the situation.