Iran World Cup tensions heighten with 24-hour 'ban' and national team members denied entry to US
Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, members of the Iran support staff will not be permitted entry into the US because their visas have not been approved.
The soccer tournament kicks off with Mexico vs South Africa on Thursday (June 11), with Iran set to play New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15 in their first game.
As the World Cup is jointly hosted by the US, there has been a lot of talk surrounding whether Iran would be permitted into the country following current global tensions.
Donald Trump launched a joint attack with Israel on the country on February 28, which killed Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
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Iran's national team has been training in Turkey ahead of the World Cup, and they landed in Mexico on Sunday (June 7), where they will be based and train during the tournament.
Gianni Infantino, FIFA's president, confirmed back in March that Iran would be taking part in the tournament, though the US has refused to allow Iran to train in the country.
Iran's soccer team and some of its staff received their visas on Friday (June 5), though Iranian state media reported on the same day that other members of the team's support staff, including Iranian football federation chief Mehdi Taj, have not received an approved visa.
A US State Department official told multiple outlets that 'the visas necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup, including for athletes and necessary support staff, have been issued'.
"We will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretenses," the official added.
Iran's embassy in Turkey has accused the US of 'politically biased interference in sport' by denying the visas to a 'large portion of the managerial and executive staff'.
Ambassador Abolfazl Pasandideh, the Iranian envoy to Mexico, has been speaking to reporters on Sunday and said the Iran national team must enter and leave US soil on match day as part of the visa agreement.
"We can enter in the morning and we must leave the same day,” the official told reporters.
A statement from the Iranians added: "You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran's national football team to its highest level."
Iran will play both New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles, while they will face off against Egypt in their final group game in Seattle.
Callum Jones