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Iran World Cup team heads to Mexico amid US visa row

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Iran's World Cup squad departed for Mexico, facing diplomatic tensions with the US over visa denials for some support staff.
  • The US refused visas for 15 administrative and management staff, escalating a dispute just days before the 2026 World Cup begins.
  • Iran's ambassador to Mexico stated the team must enter and leave US soil on the same day for their matches, a condition disputed by the team's spokesman.

Iran's national football team has departed for Mexico to participate in the 2026 World Cup, but their journey is overshadowed by a significant diplomatic dispute with the United States concerning visa approvals for essential support staff. The team left Turkey on Saturday, heading to Tijuana, Mexico, where they will be based for the tournament.

You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran’s national football team to its highest level.

— Iran's embassy to TurkeyA statement on X condemning the US visa denials for Iranian support staff.

The conflict escalated just days before the World Cup's kickoff, with the US denying visas to 15 administrative and management staff members of the Iranian team. Iran's embassy in Turkey issued a strong condemnation, accusing the US of "deliberate and discriminatory treatment" and calling on FIFA, the world football governing body, to hold the US accountable for violating its rules.

We can enter in the morning and we must leave the same day.

— Abolfazl PasandidehIran's envoy to Mexico, describing the restrictive conditions of the team's US visas.

Adding to the complications, Iran's ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, revealed that the team's visas stipulate they must enter and leave US soil on the same day for their group games, which are scheduled to be played in the United States. This condition contradicts the team's spokesman, Amir Mahdi Alavi, who stated that the visas were multiple-entry and allowed for arrival one day before the first game and two days prior to subsequent matches.

The visas issued for the national team are multiple-entry visas, and the national team will arrive at the match venue one day before the first game and, for the following games, two days prior to each match.

— Amir Mahdi AlaviThe team's spokesman, providing a different account of the visa conditions.

The Iranian Football Federation president, Mehdi Taj, reportedly among those denied a visa, described the situation as "political interference in sport in its worst form." This visa row marks a complex situation for the World Cup, which is co-hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada, and will see the US host a team from a nation with which it is currently at odds.

Political interference in sport in its worst form.

— Mehdi TajPresident of the Iranian Football Federation, describing the US visa decision.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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