Iran World Cup Squad Granted U.S. Visas Amid Ongoing Conflict

The visas were approved just ten days before Iran’s opening match in Los Angeles, ending uncertainty over whether the team would be able to participate in the tournament hosted jointly by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Earlier on Thursday, Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, said the players had not yet received their visas. However, according to the White House official, the approvals were issued overnight. Reports indicate that some members of the team’s technical and administrative staff are still awaiting visas.

Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency reported that several members of the national team’s coaching and executive staff have not yet been granted entry documents, although no official source was cited.

The conflict between Iran and the United States has added an unusual geopolitical dimension to the World Cup. It marks the first time in tournament history that a host nation is welcoming a team from a country with which it is actively engaged in a military conflict.

Due to visa uncertainties and a desire to minimize the team’s time inside the United States, Iranian authorities reportedly shifted the squad’s base camp from Arizona to the Mexican border city of Tijuana. The team is expected to arrive there before traveling to its matches in the United States.

Iran will begin its Group G campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, before facing Belgium at the same venue. The team will then travel to Seattle for its final group-stage match against Egypt.

Speaking to reporters, Ambassador Pasandideh said the United States had never formally informed Tehran that it did not want the Iranian team on American soil. However, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently told lawmakers that Iran would not be permitted to include individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in its World Cup delegation.

The issue gained additional attention after Mehdi Taj, who previously served as a commander in the IRGC, was denied a visa to attend the World Cup draw in Washington last December.

Pasandideh argued that Iran’s determination to participate in the tournament demonstrates its willingness to pursue a peaceful resolution to the conflict with Washington.

“Iran’s participation in the World Cup, even on the soil of a country it considers an adversary, shows that Iran seeks peace,” he said through a Spanish-language interpreter at the Iranian Embassy in Mexico City.

Meanwhile, peace negotiations between Iran and the United States continue to move slowly. While both sides are reportedly working toward an interim agreement, military operations and tensions remain ongoing, underscoring the fragile nature of diplomatic efforts.