It’s about entry to the World Cup
Iran accuses USA of discrimination
June 6, 2026 – 11:15 p.mReading time: 1 min.
Iran’s team is only allowed to enter US territory on match day, according to an Iranian ambassador. The addition: Iran has to leave it on the same day.
Iran’s national football team is facing an exceptional logistical situation at the 2026 World Cup. The US authorities apparently only granted the delegation entry permits on a daily basis – and completely refused visas to 15 members of the entourage.
“We can enter in the morning and have to leave the same day,” Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, said on Saturday. All three of Iran’s preliminary round games take place in the USA, and the venue is near the border in Tijuana/Mexico.
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The Iranian embassy in Turkey expressed sharp criticism and complained about “arbitrary and discriminatory treatment of the Iranian team.” This has been “raised to the highest level,” it said in a statement. US Ambassador Tom Barrack praised the US Embassy in Ankara effusively for its handling of the matter.
Logistical challenge for Iran
Iran is scheduled to play its games against New Zealand (June 15) and Belgium (June 21) in Los Angeles, almost 230 km from Tijuana. The third group game takes place in Seattle, more than 2000 km away, against Egypt (June 27th). The Iranian entourage left for Spain on Saturday in order to travel from there to their headquarters in Mexico. The team originally planned their camp in Tucson, Arizona, but this was then moved.
The two countries have been at war since the US and Israel began bombing Iran in late February.