The Iranian national football team is set to arrive in North America for the World Cup after finally securing travel documents, but a dispute over U.S. visa approvals continues to cast a shadow over the country's tournament preparations.
According to the Iran Football Federation (IFF), the national team received its visas only 10 days before its opening World Cup match.
While the players have been cleared to travel, Iranian officials say some of the IFF's leadership and support staff remain unable to enter the U.S.
Iran's semi-official news agency Tasnim reported that those who had not received visas included Executive Director Mehdi Kharati, Secretary General, Hedayat Mombini, and Media Director Mohsen Motamedkia.
Staff members without visas will travel to Mexico with the team while efforts to obtain visas continue, the agency said.
The IFF said the behaviour of co-hosts the U.S. "contradicts international sports laws" and it would take up the matter with soccer's world governing body FIFA.
"The U.S. government, continuing its hostile actions against the national team ... made a non-sporting and completely political decision to refuse visas for key managerial and administrative members of the Iranian national football team," it said in a statement reported by Iran's state media.
The timing of the visa approvals has added to the challenges facing the team. Iran has been holding its final preparations in Antalya, Türkiye, and confirmed that players and essential team personnel received their travel documents through the Mexican Embassy in Antalya ahead of a planned departure to Mexico.
The squad is expected to base itself in Tijuana, just across the U.S. border from San Diego, before traveling to its matches.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said American authorities would carefully examine members of Iran's traveling party to ensure that only individuals directly connected to the football team are granted access.
"We have no problem with the athletes or their support staff," Rubio said earlier this week. "But what we're not going to allow is for them to embed in their delegation a bunch of people that we know have nothing to do with athletics and have ties to the IRGC or things of that nature."
The visa controversy had already forced Iran to alter its World Cup plans. The team initially intended to establish a training camp in Tucson, Arizona, but relocated operations to Tijuana amid uncertainty over travel arrangements and entry permissions.
The Iranian team opens its World Cup campaign against New Zealand on 15 June in Inglewood, California, before facing Belgium on 21 June at the same venue. Iran's final group-stage match will be played in Seattle five days later.
A potential knockout-stage meeting between the U.S. and Iran could take place on 3 July in Arlington, Texas, should both nations finish second in their respective groups.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, replacing him with General Mykhailo Drapatyi in one of the...
Southeast Asia remains the epicentre of scam centres running illegal online fraud schemes that target victims worldwide and generate billions of dolla...
Iran is increasingly relying on its northern ports for imports, with officials saying more than 30% of goods now enter the country via Russia and the ...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, replacing him with General Mykhailo Drapatyi in one of the most significant military leadership changes since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
AnewZ's Daybreak on 21 July covered the latest escalation in the U.S.-Iran conflict, rising trade tensions between the United States and Canada, and key regional and international developments.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for setting up a foolproof public examination system in the country on Tuesday, a day after supporters of the youth-led "cockroach" movement and police clashed as they marched on parliament to protest against question paper leaks.
Lebanese army troops have begun deploying in the southern town of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh after Israeli forces withdrew from the area, marking the first major step in a U.S.-brokered plan to reduce tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 20th July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 21st of July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
At least six people were killed and 21 others injured after two earthquakes struck Peru's central Junín region, destroying dozens of homes and triggering a major emergency response.
Kylian Mbappé has become the first player to win the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot on more than one occasion. The French forward won the award presented to the top goalscorer of the tournament for the second time, despite France being knocked out in the semi-finals.
Overnight U.S. strikes caused blackouts in southwestern Iran and hit the northwestern city of Tabriz for the first time. Separately, a U.S. soldier died in northern Iraq during a controlled detonation of an unexploded Iranian drone.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, replacing him with General Mykhailo Drapatyi in one of the most significant military leadership changes since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Southeast Asia remains the epicentre of scam centres running illegal online fraud schemes that target victims worldwide and generate billions of dollars annually. The UN estimates scam losses across East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand reached up to $114.1 billion in 2025.
Iran is increasingly relying on its northern ports for imports, with officials saying more than 30% of goods now enter the country via Russia and the Caspian Sea rather than through the Indian Ocean.
Britain's new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has chaired his first Cabinet meeting, pledging to make the cost of living his government's central priority while signalling a broader effort to restore confidence in Britain's government and strengthen its international standing.
Russian strikes hit multiple locations across Ukraine, setting a large hardware store ablaze in the northeastern city of Sumy and damaging a residential building in the country's east, as fighting between the two sides continued to intensify.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment