Iran’s World Cup squad said on June 5 that its players were still waiting for U.S. visas, with the team already moved from Arizona to Mexico after being denied the right to stay in the United States during the tournament. The delay leaves Iran’s players and officials in limbo just days before their World Cup schedule begins on U.S. soil.
That matters now because Iran’s three Group G matches are all in the United States, turning visa approval into the difference between a normal tournament trip and a logistical standoff. Iran is due to face New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 26, which means the squad cannot simply wait out the issue elsewhere.
The restrictions have also pulled the dispute beyond football operations and into a wider political fight. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said anyone in the Iranian camp with links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps would not be allowed to enter the U.S., a line that sits uneasily beside FIFA’s own rules, which say host countries must enable all participating teams to have a smooth passage. FIFA also requires a legally binding Host Government Agreement when a country wins the right to host the World Cup, language that Iran’s case has now put under fresh scrutiny.
The clash echoes a larger pattern in U.S.-Iran relations and follows the broader travel restrictions imposed on Iranian visitors. It also lands in the shadow of FIFA’s treatment of Russia, which was banned from competitions over the war on Ukraine in 2022. For Iran, the next question is immediate and practical: whether the United States grants visas to the team’s players and entourage before the first match kicks off.
If that does not happen soon, Iran’s World Cup campaign will begin with uncertainty off the field before a ball is kicked on it.
