Following Iran’s 2-2 draw against New Zealand at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, FIFA President Gianni Infantino visited the Iranian team’s locker room for about 10 minutes.
In footage posted by Al Jazeera, Infantino acknowledged the squad’s logistical and political challenges and offered words of encouragement.
“I know what you go through, I understand,” he told the players. “But you are stronger than everything, and you send a strong message to the entire world.”
Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei responded, stressing that FIFA needed to take a stronger role in supporting the team.
The visit came days after Infantino made a symbolic pledge during his World Cup opening remarks in Mexico City, referencing earlier doubts over Iran’s participation following geopolitical tensions.
He said at the time, “I would have driven a bus from Tehran, Iran’s capital, to get the team to the tournament.”
Despite the supportive messaging, Iran’s camp has continued to criticise what it describes as restrictive travel and scheduling conditions.
The team left SoFi Stadium at 10.07pm, roughly two hours after full-time, to catch a flight back to their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, scheduled shortly after 11pm. The tight turnaround denied players extended recovery time.
Ghalenoei said the situation was unclear and poorly managed.
“They have said we have to leave immediately. We are really troubled by that. We don’t know why they are returning us, to be honest,” he said. “It seems others are doing the planning for us. Our team is the most oppressed one in the whole World Cup.”
Striker Mehdi Taremi also criticised the conditions, describing the experience as chaotic.
“Everything is like a disaster, actually, for us,” he told The New York Times.
He added that the disruptions were affecting performance and recovery, urging stronger intervention from football authorities.
“We don’t have that support, and I think FIFA have to help us more than this,” he said. “It’s a bad situation, and we’re just tired of this situation.”
Taremi also suggested that broader external pressures were influencing the situation, without going into detail.
Iran also arrived in Los Angeles only the afternoon before the match, instead of the usual two-day preparation window. Goal scorer Mohammad Mohebbi described the schedule as “unfair” and exhausting.
The team further faced visa-related setbacks, with 11 staff members reportedly denied entry. Ghalenoei said the absence of key federation and support personnel had disrupted preparations.
An Iranian federation official claimed FIFA had requested the immediate post-match return to Tijuana. However, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Iran had agreed to the conditions as part of its entry requirements.
White House World Cup Task Force chief Andrew Giuliani told CBS News: “The team will be allowed to come in the day before the match and will be asked to leave the day the match wraps up.”