Iran’s World Cup squad granted US visas, White House says

A White House official confirmed Friday that Iran’s players received US visas overnight, ending a months-long diplomatic standoff, according to Reuters.straitstimes
Iran relocated its training base from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, amid the dispute and will remain based there for the tournament.usatoday
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US would bar individuals linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards from the squad’s delegation.straitstimes

Iran World Cup Squad Granted US Visas Days Before Opening Match

Iran’s national football team has been granted visas to enter the United States, a White House official told Reuters on Friday, resolving weeks of uncertainty just 10 days before the squad’s first World Cup match against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.straitstimes

The visas were issued overnight after Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, said late on Thursday that the squad had still not received them. The resolution ends a drawn-out standoff that had forced Iran to relocate its training base from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, and raised questions about whether the team would be able to compete at all in the tournament.usatoday

A Months-Long Standoff

The visa saga dates back to late 2025, when Iran initially boycotted the World Cup draw in Washington after members of its delegation were denied entry. The Trump administration reversed course at the last minute to allow participation in that December ceremony, but the underlying tensions persisted.livenowfox

Iran’s squad arrived in southern Turkey in mid-May to begin preparations, with players submitting visa applications at the US embassy in Ankara. Federation head Mehdi Taj demanded that players receive multiple-entry visas, warning that his team would pursue “other measures” if the situation was not resolved. As late as June 1, ESPN reported that the federation expected US visas to arrive by Friday of that week.aljazeera

Geopolitics on the Pitch

The backdrop to the dispute is the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran, making this the first World Cup since the tournament’s inception in 1930 in which a host nation is set to receive a country it is at war with.straitstimes

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on Tuesday that the US would not allow Iran to include in its World Cup delegation individuals linked to the Revolutionary Guards, a condition that could affect several players who completed mandatory military service with the group.straitstimes

Despite obtaining visas, Iran has kept its base in Tijuana rather than the United States, with the squad scheduled to land in the Mexican border city early on Sunday. While Iranian fans have largely been shut out — facing high application fees and rejection rates — their team will now take the pitch in Los Angeles as planned.aljazeera