Iran’s 2026 World Cup squad will file a complaint with FIFA over travel restrictions during the tournament in North America, the Iranian football federation spokesperson said on Thursday.
“Despite submitting its preparation schedule for the tournament well in advance, Iran’s national football team has once again faced restrictions imposed by the organisers, affecting the implementation of its technical staff’s plans,” the spokesperson said, according to AFP news agency.
They wanted to fly from their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, to the United States on Sunday, two days ahead of their next group game against Belgium in Los Angeles. But the Iranian Federation said its plea was turned down.
Iran’s team faced again restrictions
“The Iranian Football Federation asked for the team to travel to Los Angeles two days before the match because the match will be held at 12 p.m. local time in Los Angeles,” the spokesperson said.
The idea was to give the players enough time to get into the conditions of the game, to complete their last practice and finish their preparations. Despite the technical justifications given by the federation, the request was again refused.
The US officials said after Iran’s first World Cup game on Monday, a politically charged 2-2 draw with New Zealand, the team will have to leave the country within hours of the full-time whistle for its World Cup group games in Los Angeles and Seattle. The World Cup 2026 cohost nation on Tuesday responded to criticism of how it handled the Iranian team’s visas and stay in the U.S. during their opening match
The Iranian delegation left the US hours after the game in Los Angeles ended at about 8 p.m. local time (03:00 GMT) and returned to their base camp in Mexico. The US was criticised for its handling of the visas as the team did not have a day to recuperate at their hotel.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, said Monday that Iran was told in advance that they would only be allowed into the U.S. on the day of the match.
Giuliani told CBS News, “The team will be allowed to come in, match day minus one, so the day before the match. “And the evening of the game, the day that the game ends, they will be asked to leave.” And in Los Angeles, they will be able to repeat it. He said the process would be the same for their final group game June 26 in Seattle against Egypt.
Iran, in Group G, began their campaign this week in North America after months of doubt over the team’s participation in the World Cup amid the US-Israel war on Iran.
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