Iran’s national football team is based in Tijuana, Mexico for the 2026 World Cup and must travel to the US for group matches under strict visa conditions that only allow entry the day before a match and require immediate departure the same day after the game [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].

These restrictions have severely disrupted Iran’s tournament preparations. The team has faced last-minute travel changes, visa denials for 11 to 15 key support staff and media personnel, and reduced training time before matches [1, 9, 5, 7, 8]. Iranian coach Amir Ghalenoei called Iran the "most oppressed" squad of the tournament, saying, "I think our team is the most oppressed one in the whole World Cup" [1, 2, 7, 8]. Forward Mehdi Taremi added, "It's not good for us. I think it's not good for football. I think FIFA have to help us more than this" [1].

Iran moved its base camp from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana to reduce travel time and visa complications [1, 4, 7, 8]. The team’s opening match against New Zealand on June 15 in Los Angeles resulted in a 2-2 draw amid the travel chaos and limited preparation [1, 7, 8]. Coach Ghalenoei described the draw as a "great achievement" under such conditions [10].

On June 20, Iran held Belgium to a 0-0 draw in Los Angeles despite having less than 16 hours of training before the match due to the visa restrictions [5, 10, 11]. Ghalenoei called this unbeaten start "a historic achievement" [10].

Iran’s Football Federation officially lodged a complaint with FIFA on June 19, calling the treatment a "dark point" in World Cup history that threatens the integrity of the tournament [9, 3]. Federation official Hedayat Mombeyni said, "This sort of breaking of our rules and our agreements ... calls football itself into question" [9]. FIFA president Gianni Infantino visited Iran’s dressing room after their opening match and is reportedly seeking solutions [1, 5, 7].

US officials, including Andrew Giuliani of the White House World Cup Task Force, defend the restrictions as necessary security measures agreed with Iran and applied equally. Giuliani said, "The team will be allowed to come in, match day minus one, so the day before the match." Officials say they are in discussions to ease travel rules for Iran’s upcoming games [9, 3, 12, 4, 5].

Iran’s next group match is against Egypt on June 27 in Seattle, where the US authorities are reportedly considering loosening the restrictions to allow more preparation time [2, 12, 4, 5, 6, 11].