World Cup: Iran players granted visas to enter US, kick off June 15 in Los Angeles

Just 10 days before the opening match of the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, Iran’s national soccer team has officially received permission to enter the United States. A White House official confirmed on Friday that the team had finally been granted visas, ending a tense standoff that had threatened to throw Group G play in Los Angeles into utter chaos.

According to reports from Reuters, the green light came at just the right time. Just hours earlier, Abolfazl Pasandideh, Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, revealed that the team’s paperwork was completely stuck. To work around these intense logistical constraints, the team had to set up their preliminary training bases in Antalya, Turkey, and Tijuana, Mexico, and even tried to move their final camp at the last minute from Arizona to Tijuana to minimize their presence on American soil.

With their travel documents now sorted overnight, an Iranian unit is to land in Tijuana early Sunday morning to complete their training. From there, they’ll head across the border to California to face New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, before taking on Belgium before taking on Egypt in Seattle.

FIFA WORLD CUP: STILL IRAN-USA

The ongoing political conflict between Washington and Tehran has turned this tournament into much more than just a football competition. For the first time in the history of the World Cup since it began in 1930, the host country is set to welcome a nation it is actively at war with, putting tournament organizers on high alert.

While Ambassador Pasandideh mentioned that the U.S. never openly said it would ban the soccer team, the visa process met with stiff resistance from American politicians. Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued tough rulings to lawmakers on who is allowed to cross the border.

“The United States will not allow Iran to include individuals linked to the Revolutionary Guards in its World Cup delegation.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

This rule caused serious panic among the team management. The Revolutionary Guards are a powerful branch of Iran’s military, and several players in the current World Cup squad have actually completed their mandatory military service with them.

RECORDS AND IRANIAN WORLD CAMPAIGN

Iran actually secured their place in the tournament quite early, on 25 March 2025, after a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Uzbekistan in the third round of the AFC qualifiers. Despite being consistently Asia’s top team, Team Melli have historically struggled on the biggest stage, failing to progress past the group stage in all six of their previous World Cup appearances.

In these tournaments, they recorded a hard record of 3 wins, 4 draws and 11 losses. However, they are no strangers to causing great trouble; their previous three tournament victories include the famous 1998 win over the USA, the 2018 triumph against Morocco and the dramatic defeat of Wales in 2022. When Iran’s players finally take the field on June 15, they will be looking to improve that record in one of the most politically charged games in World Cup history.

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Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

05 Jun 2026 23:09 IST