US defends travel restrictions on Iran 2026 World Cup despite team blast
The United States defended the Iran team’s travel arrangements for the World Cup, even as it continued to evaluate the situation with the team. However, Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force on the tournament, said the original plan would remain in place despite the outburst from the Asian side. Iran has announced that it will file a complaint with FIFAand called the travel arrangements for the section unfair.
FIFA WORLD CUP 2026: THE COMPLETE SCHEDULE
Iran has expressed its frustration over tournament travel regulations that require the team to arrive at the match venue no earlier than 24 hours before kick-off and immediately return to their training camp in Tijuana, Mexico, after each match. Head coach Amir Ghalenoei criticized the measures, claiming his team faced the toughest conditions of any nation at the World Cup.
But tournament official Giuliani said the situation remained under control and confirmed there would be discussions about logistics for Iran’s final group stage match against Egypt in Seattle on Friday after Sunday’s clash with Belgium in Los Angeles.
“The situation is dynamic,” Giuliani said in an exclusive interview in Houston. “Now we have a plan. Tomorrow afternoon (after the Belgium match) he will take a 27-minute flight back to Tijuana.
“We’ll see how it goes in Game 2, and the day after that it’s going to be a discussion about how it’s going to be in Game 3 in Seattle.”
Giullani said the shift of training bases for Iran helped them reduce travel time.
“I think the move from Tucson to Tijuana was good for everyone involved, it certainly cut down on their travel time to Los Angeles as well,” he said. “Their flight is an hour shorter than it would have been from Tucson. And we’re happy with how things went for the first game in Los Angeles.”
“I would just point to the fact that all the players got visas. All the coaches got visas. There are some team officials who didn’t get visas and that’s because we saw some derogatory information about them, and that’s the balance we’re talking about.”
PROTECT THE INTERESTS OF US
Giullani said the main goal of the travel restrictions is to protect the best interests of the U.S. and international stars at the tournament.
“We want to make sure that we have this incredible soccer tournament where people are welcomed and enjoying the World Cup, while also making sure that we’re not just protecting American citizens, but also all those international visitors that are coming here,” he said.
Iran will play their second match of the tournament against Belgium on June 21.
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Published on:
Jun 21, 2026 06:43 IST