Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Just 10 days before their opening match at the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, Iran’s national football team has officially been cleared to enter the United States. A White House official confirmed on Friday that the squad has finally been granted visas, resolving a tense standoff that threatened to throw the Group G fixtures in Los Angeles into complete chaos.
According to reports from Reuters, the green light came just in the nick of time. Only hours earlier, Abolfazl Pasandideh, Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, revealed that the team’s paperwork was completely stuck. To bypass these intense logistical restrictions, the team had to set up its preliminary training bases in Antalya, Turkey, and Tijuana, Mexico, even scrambling to shift their final camp at the last minute from Arizona to Tijuana to keep their presence on U.S. soil to a minimum.
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With their travel papers now sorted overnight, the Iranian squad is scheduled to touch down in Tijuana early Sunday morning to finish their training. From there, they will head across the border to California for their massive World Cup opener against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, before facing Belgium and then taking on Egypt in Seattle.
FIFA WORLD CUP: THE IRAN-USA STANDOFF
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 started back in 1930, a 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 they would ban the football team, the visa process faced heavy resistance from American politicians. Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio laid down a strict ruling to lawmakers about who would be allowed across the border.
“The U.S. will not allow Iran to include in its World Cup delegation individuals linked to the Revolutionary Guards.” Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State said.
This rule caused serious panic for the team management. The Revolutionary Guards are a powerful branch of the Iranian military, and several players in the current World Cup squad actually completed their mandatory military service with them.
IRAN’S WORLD CUP RECORDS AND CAMPAIGN
Iran actually clinched their spot in the tournament quite early on March 25, 2025, following a hard-fought 2–2 draw against Uzbekistan in the third round of AFC qualification. Despite consistently being a top Asian side, Team Melli has historically struggled on the grandest stage, failing to advance past the group stage in all six of their previous World Cup appearances.
Across those tournaments, they have recorded a tough stat line of 3 wins, 4 draws, and 11 losses. However, they are no strangers to pulling off big upsets; their previous three tournament victories include a famous 1998 win over the USA, a 2018 triumph against Morocco, and a dramatic defeat of Wales in 2022. As the Iranian players finally walk out onto the pitch on June 15, they will be looking to improve that record in one of the most politically charged matches in World Cup history.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
