U.S. defends Iran World Cup travel restrictions

U.S. defends Iran World Cup travel restrictions
Iran v New Zealand - Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood, California, U.S., 15 June 2026
Reuters

The United States will continue reviewing Iran's travel arrangements at the 2026 World Cup, but current restrictions remain in place despite Tehran's plans to lodge a complaint with FIFA, a White House official said.

Iran has criticised the rules requiring the team to travel to match venues within 24 hours before kick-off and return immediately afterwards to its training base in Tijuana, Mexico. Head coach Amir Ghalenoei recently described Iran as the “most oppressed team in the whole World Cup.”

Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the tournament, told Reuters discussions were ongoing ahead of Iran's third group-stage match against Egypt in Seattle on Friday.

Iran v New Zealand - Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood, California, U.S., 15 June 2026
Reuters

Giuliani said all Iranian players and coaches had received visas, but some team officials had not.

"There are some team officials that have not received visas, and that's because we've seen some derogatory information on them," he said.

He defended the measures as part of broader efforts to protect both Americans and international visitors attending the tournament.

Giuliani added that U.S. authorities had identified no credible threats to the World Cup but remained in constant contact with intelligence agencies as the tournament continues.

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