US grants visas to Iran team ahead of World Cup opener

Iran’s national football team has been granted visas to enter the United States ahead of the FIFA World Cup, US officials confirmed, resolving uncertainty just days before the tournament begins.

The approval comes 10 days before Iran’s opening match against New Zealand, scheduled to take place in Los Angeles on June 15.

“The visas necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup, including for athletes and necessary support staff, have been issued,” US officials said in a statement, cited by the BBC.

However, they stressed that safeguards remain in place, adding that the United States would not allow the Iranian delegation to “abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretenses”.

The Iranian football federation has not yet publicly commented on the visa approvals.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to kick off on 11 June and will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. It will mark the first time a host nation stages matches involving a country with which it is in a state of war.

Visa issues had complicated Iran’s preparations in the lead-up to the tournament. In late May, the team relocated its training base to Mexico from Tucson, Arizona. Mehdi Taj, president of Iran’s football federation, said the move was due to difficulties in obtaining US visas.

As recently as Friday, Iran’s Fars news agency reported that some members of the team’s technical and administrative staff had not yet received visas to enter the United States.

Earlier in the week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers that Iran’s delegation would not be permitted to include individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a powerful branch of Iran’s armed forces.

Several players in Iran’s squad have previously completed mandatory military service with the organisation.

By Tamilla Hasanova