Iran World Cup camp hit by visa row with US as players arrive in Mexico

Iran’s national football team has arrived in Mexico ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but their build-up has been overshadowed by a diplomatic row with the United States over visa restrictions affecting members of the delegation.

The squad landed in Tijuana on Sunday after a three-week training camp in Turkey.

Iran will base itself in the border city throughout the tournament, despite all three Group G matches being scheduled in the United States.

According to The Guardian, coach Amir Ghalenoei expressed frustration over delays in travel documentation, saying the team should have arrived earlier to adjust to the time difference.

He said, “We should have been here last week because a 12-hour time difference needs two weeks of adjusting. Usually in these tournaments, before technical matters, ethical and human considerations must be respected, which I think for us it was not the case.”

He also thanked FIFA for assisting with the process but added: “We are upset about this behaviour. It has certainly never happened before.”

Captain Ehsan Hajsafi also raised concerns over the visa delays.

“Why so late?” adding that “in the last year, we experienced two imposed wars in our country,” he said, insisting the team is “100% ready” and confident of progressing from the group stage.

According to BBC, Iranian officials say several delegation members, including administrative staff and federation executives, were denied visas, affecting about 15 people.

The United States confirmed visas were issued to all players and what it described as essential support staff.

A US official said, “We will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretences.”

Iran’s embassy in Turkey condemned the decision, calling it “politically biased interference in sport” and urging FIFA to intervene.

It accused US authorities of escalating “deliberate and discriminatory treatment” of the national team.

Iran begins their World Cup campaign against New Zealand on June 15, before facing Belgium and Egypt in the group stage.