Iran's World Cup squad lands in Tijuana as US visa dispute shadows tournament
The Iranian delegation reached Tijuana early Sunday after weeks of uncertainty over entry permits, with 15 staff still denied visas and conflicting rules on match-day access.
Arrival under guard
Iran's national football team landed in Tijuana, Mexico, just after 5 a.m. local time on Sunday, June 7, at the end of a 12,000-kilometre journey from a training camp in Antalya, Turkey. The squad, known as Team Melli, was greeted by a small group of Iranian fans waving flags at the airport, where Mexican soldiers and police provided heavy security. The team bus took players and staff to the Marriott hotel near the Xolos training centre, which will serve as their base for the World Cup. Captain Ehsan Hajsafi was first to exit the aircraft, which bore the markings www.usc.aero.
A base moved by politics
Iran originally planned to set up camp in Tucson, Arizona, but the ongoing war with the United States forced a last-minute relocation across the border. The Iranian federation negotiated the switch to Tijuana after months of visa uncertainty threatened the team's participation. Donald Trump reportedly tried to block Iran from the tournament, according to Spanish daily El País. The move placed the squad a few hundred metres from the US border wall, a visible marker of the conflict now shadowing the World Cup.
Visa bottleneck
The US embassy in Ankara issued visas to all Iranian players on Friday, June 5, ten days before their opening match, but refused permits for 15 members of the delegation. Iranian officials said those denied included "key managerial and administrative members," among them federation president Mehdi Taj, a former member of the Revolutionary Guards, designated a terrorist organisation by Washington. The US State Department said it had provided "all visas necessary" for World Cup participation, while adding it would prevent "abuse of the system to smuggle terrorists into the United States under false pretences." Iran's football federation called the behaviour "political interference in sport in its worst form."
The American rulers are so despised that no one wants to go to that country, but the World Cup is held there and we have to go. We do not know to what extent the American sabotage will continue.
Match-day-only access
Conflicting statements have emerged about the entry conditions for the players. Ambassador Abolfazl Pasandideh stated in Tijuana that the team must enter and exit US territory on the same day as each match. Spokesperson Amir Mahdi Alawi countered that the visas allow repeated entry and that players would arrive one or two days before games. Taj himself later mentioned a one-day-before rule. FIFA regulations require the head coach to hold a press conference at the venue on the eve of a match, adding to the confusion.
Group G schedule
Iran will play all three group-stage matches in the United States. The first is against New Zealand on June 15 near Los Angeles, followed by Belgium on June 21, also in the Los Angeles area, and Egypt on June 26 in Seattle. The World Cup, co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada, runs from June 11 to July 19. Iran was among the first teams to qualify for the tournament.
- US grants visas to players, denies 15 staff including federation president Taj
- Team arrives in Tijuana, Mexico
- First match: Iran vs New Zealand in Los Angeles
- Second match: Iran vs Belgium in Los Angeles
- Third match: Iran vs Egypt in Seattle
Soft-power arena
The visa battle has turned the world's largest sporting event into a vehicle for soft-power rivalry between two nations at war. In Tijuana, one Iranian expatriate fan told reporters: "It is much safer for the team to be here than in the United States." The Mexican government, which stepped in at FIFA's request, has stationed national guard troops at the hotel and stadium, though the ambassador said the team has no security concerns in Mexico.
It is much safer for the team to be here than in the United States.
