Iran has accused the United States of blocking visas for key members of its national football team’s backroom staff, hours after Washington confirmed players could enter the country for the 2026 World Cup.
US officials said on Friday that visas had been issued to all players and “necessary support staff”, 10 days before Iran’s opening fixture in Los Angeles on 15 June. But they warned that Iran would not be allowed to “abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretences”.
“Iran accuses US of blocking visas for 15 staff including federation chief, after players were cleared for World Cup.”
In response, Iran’s embassy in Turkey accused Washington of “politically biased interference in sport”, saying a “large portion of the managerial and executive staff” and “technical advisers” had been denied entry. Iranian state-linked media reported that 15 administration officials – including the head of the football federation, his deputy, and a media director – were among those barred.
The World Cup, jointly hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, is the first iteration of the competition to see a host nation receive the team of a country it is at war with. Iran secured their place by finishing top of their qualification group in March 2025, almost a year before war broke out.
Iran’s team set off from their training base in Turkey on Saturday on a 20-hour flight to Mexico, where they will be based for the tournament. Under the conditions of their visas, the squad must enter and leave the US on the same day as their matches, Iran’s ambassador to Mexico said.
He described the US announcement as a “whitewash”, adding: “You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran’s national football team to its highest level.” Iran’s embassy called on Fifa, football’s world governing body, to intervene.
The US Department of Homeland Security did not specify restrictions for the Iranian delegation, but told the BBC in a statement that it is “steadfast in our commitment to the safety and security of the American people and attendees of the 2026 FIFA World Cup”. The agency said it is “intricately involved in the whole of government approach securing the 11 host city sites across the nation, including Los Angeles”.
Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers that Iran’s football delegation would not be allowed to include individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, a powerful branch of the Iranian armed forces. Several players in the Iranian squad have completed mandatory military service.
Iran had previously moved its training base to Mexico from Tucson, Arizona, in late May. The row threatens to overshadow their opening match as diplomatic tensions between the two countries spill onto the pitch.