Iran’s World Cup 2026 squad touched down in the Mexican border city of Tijuana early on Sunday morning, greeted by tight security and a handful of flag-waving fans – the latest chapter in a bitter diplomatic row that has left 15 team officials stranded.
The team will be based in Tijuana throughout the tournament, despite playing all three of their group-stage games in the United States. US officials said visas had been issued to all players and “necessary support staff” on Friday, 10 days before Iran’s opening fixture against New Zealand in Los Angeles on 15 June. But 15 officials, including the football federation chief, his deputy and a media director, have been denied entry, according to Iranian state-linked media.
“Iran's World Cup squad arrived in Mexico on Sunday after US denied visas to 15 support staff”
The Iran coach, Amir Ghalenoei, complained on arrival at Tijuana airport: “We should have been here last week because a 12-hour time difference needs two weeks of adjusting. Usually in these tournaments, before technical matters, ethical and human considerations must be respected – which I think for us it was not the case.” Ghalenoei thanked world football’s governing body, Fifa, for its efforts to help secure entry, but added: “We are upset about this behaviour. It has certainly never happened before.”
The team captain, Ehsan Hajsafi, demanded: “Why so late? In the last year, we experienced two imposed wars in our country.” He insisted “the team is 100% ready” and said “we can advance” from the group stage.
The visa dispute erupted just days before Thursday’s kick-off of the 2026 World Cup, jointly hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. This will be the first men’s football World Cup to see a host nation receive the team of a country it is at war with. US officials said Iran would not be allowed to “abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretences”, echoing comments by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about potential links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
Iran’s embassy in Turkey accused the US of “politically biased interference in sport” and called on Fifa to intervene. The squad spent nearly three weeks at a training camp in Turkey, applying for visas to travel to Mexico, Canada and the US. On the eve of their departure, the players finally received their US visas, according to Washington’s envoy to Turkey, Tom Barrack. But the support staff were left behind.
Iran’s Group G games are in Los Angeles (against New Zealand and Belgium on 15 and 21 June) and Seattle (against Egypt on 26 June). The team relocated their training base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana in late May. Ghalenoei said the late arrival disrupted preparation: “A 12-hour time difference needs two weeks of adjusting.”
A small group of fans gathered at Tijuana airport to cheer the team as they arrived, while Mexican national guard troops stood guard. As the players filed off the plane, the dispute over who will be allowed to support them in the US remained unresolved.