&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "FIFA World Cup 2026: Iran team told to enter & leave US on match days under strict rule")
Iran’s Ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, has stated that the country’s national football team will be required to enter the United States only on the day of each FIFA World Cup 2026 match and depart later the same day. The development comes after members of Iran’s World Cup squad received US visas on Friday, however, several officials accompanying the team, including Iranian Football Federation president Mehdi Taj, were reportedly denied visas, sparking fresh diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
Iran’s squad departed for Tijuana in Mexico on Saturday, where they will be based throughout the tournament. The team had initially planned to establish its training camp in Arizona but opted for Mexico instead amid strained relations with the United States.
Strict travel conditions
According to Pasandideh, the visa terms imposed on the team require players and staff to enter and leave US territory on the same day as their fixtures.
“We can enter in the morning and we must leave the same day,” Iran’s envoy Pasandideh told reporters.
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His remarks appear to contradict earlier comments from team spokesperson Amir Mahdi Alavi, who said the visas granted to the squad permit multiple entries.
“The visas issued for the national team are multiple-entry visas, and the national team will arrive at the match venue one day before the first game and, for the following games, two days prior to each match,” Alavi had said.
Competing in Group G, Iran will face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on Jun 15 and Jun 21 respectively, before concluding their group-stage campaign against Egypt in Seattle on Jun 26.
How to watch and stream FIFA World Cup 2026 in India
You can watch FIFA 2026 on Zee’s new Unite8 Sports network (Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2 and Unite8 Sports 2 HD). Multiple group-stage matches that take place simultaneously will be aired across the four channels with English and Hindi feeds.
All games will also be streamed live on the Zee5 app and website (https://www.zee5.com/).
