Iran World Cup Squad Granted US Entry Visas Ahead of Tournament, White House Official Confirms

Iran’s World Cup football squad has been granted visas to enter the United States, according to a White House official who spoke to Reuters on Friday (5 June), less than two weeks before the team’s opening fixture in Los Angeles amid continued tensions between the two countries.

The confirmation followed comments made late on Thursday by Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, who said the squad had still not received permission to enter the United States.

However, according to the White House official, the visas were approved overnight.

A spokesperson for Iran’s World Cup football federation was not immediately available to comment.

Despite the approval for players, reports suggest some members of Iran’s wider delegation are still awaiting clearance.

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported on Friday that visas had not yet been issued to certain technical and administrative staff members travelling with the national team.

“Visas for some members of the national team’s technical and executive staff have not yet been issued, and the US embassy has so far refused to issue them,” the report stated, without identifying a source.

The ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States has added a significant geopolitical dimension to the World Cup — the world’s largest sporting event — with observers viewing aspects of both countries’ involvement through a political lens.

The tournament is expected to mark the first time since the World Cup began in 1930 that a host nation receives a participating country with which it is engaged in active conflict.

Amid visa uncertainty and growing domestic pressure to minimise the team’s presence on American soil, Tehran reportedly arranged a late relocation of the squad’s operational base from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico.

The Iranian delegation is scheduled to arrive in Tijuana early on Sunday.

Iran are due to begin their Group G campaign on 15 June against New Zealand in Los Angeles.

They will then remain in the United States for fixtures against Belgium before travelling to Seattle to face Egypt.

Ambassador Pasandideh said the United States had never formally communicated opposition to the Iranian team remaining on American territory.

However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers earlier in the week that Washington would not permit individuals linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to form part of the country’s World Cup delegation.

One figure affected previously was Mehdi Taj, president of Iran’s football federation, who was denied entry to attend the World Cup draw in Washington in December.

Taj previously served as a commander within the Revolutionary Guards.

Pasandideh argued that Iran’s continued participation in the tournament reflects a broader desire for diplomacy despite the conflict.

“Iran’s participation in the World Cup — even on the soil of what is seen as its enemy — shows that Iran seeks peace,” Pasandideh said through a Spanish interpreter during remarks at the Iranian embassy in Mexico City.

Meanwhile, progress in peace negotiations between Iran and the United States has remained limited.

Although discussions continue, both countries have appeared to move only gradually towards a possible interim agreement while military operations persist.