The Iran football team were ordered to leave the United States immediately after their opening World Cup match, highlighting the deep political tensions that shadowed their participation in the 2026 tournament. The team drew 2-2 with New Zealand in Los Angeles, but within hours, coach Amir Ghalenoei said they were told to 'leave immediately' and return to their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, without time for recovery. The order was part of an agreement that allowed Iran to play in the tournament despite the ongoing conflict between Iran and the US, which has only recently seen a peace deal agreed.
Iran's preparation for the World Cup was fraught with difficulties. US President Donald Trump had warned that it would not be safe for the players to attend the tournament, and the team was forced to relocate their training base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, on the eve of the World Cup. Eleven members of their travelling party were denied visas to enter the US, and as part of the agreement for them to play, they were required to leave the country just a few hours after the final whistle of each of their games. After the draw with New Zealand, Ghalenoei said through an interpreter: 'They didn't even give us time to recover. It's very important for us to have time for recovery, but we are asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Tijuana, and we are really troubled by that.' Striker Mehdi Taremi also slammed the treatment, saying: 'We don't have our media, we don't have our president of the federation, we don't have the vice president, and no one, some staff also, which is so important for us.'
“Why Iran were ordered to leave the US after their World Cup match.”
The treatment of Iran at the World Cup stems from years of political tension between the US and Iran, which almost saw the team barred from the tournament entirely. The peace deal announced in the same week as the match allowed Iran to participate under strict conditions. The team's ordeal raises questions about the fairness of the tournament and the extent to which politics can overshadow sport. For UK readers, it highlights how international football can become entangled in geopolitical conflicts, and may prompt reflection on whether the World Cup should be a neutral arena or a platform for diplomacy. Iran's next matches are likely to involve similar commuting from Mexico, as they must leave the US after each game.
Q: Why were Iran ordered to leave the US immediately after their match? As part of the agreement that permitted Iran to play in the World Cup, they had only a few hours after each game to leave the country, due to ongoing political tensions and security concerns raised by the US government ahead of the tournament.
Q: What visa issues did Iran's delegation face? Eleven members of Iran's travelling party were denied visas to enter the United States, and the team's original training base in Tucson, Arizona, was abandoned in favour of Tijuana, Mexico, on the eve of the tournament.
Q: How is this linked to the US-Iran peace deal? A peace deal between Iran and the United States was agreed in the same week as the match, which allowed Iran to participate in the World Cup after earlier doubts about their eligibility due to the ongoing war. The stringent departure conditions were part of that arrangement.
What happens next is uncertain. Iran will continue their World Cup campaign, but must return to their base in Mexico after each match in the US. Their next fixture is yet to be played, but the same strict departure rules will apply. The players have vowed not to let the hurdles stop them from doing their best, but the political backdrop continues to dominate their experience.