U.S. Denies Visas to Iranian Federation Officials Over IRGC Ties, Requires Same-Day Travel for Iran’s 2026 World Cup Matches
FIFA rejected Iran's request to relocate group-stage games after the U.S. government barred overnight stays. Iranian players must fly in from Mexico, play, and return the same day.
gamereactor.euU.S. soil without overnight stays. FIFA turned down Iran's request to shift those games to venues in Canada or Mexico, leaving the team to fly in from its relocated training camp, clear customs, compete, and return to Mexico the same day.
U.S. government signaled it did not want Iranian personnel staying overnight.
U.S. Authorities. U.S. travel ban list. Although players, coaches, staff and immediate family members are listed as exempt, members of Iran's support staff and the head of the country's football federation were denied visas, according to the New York Times.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated in April that anyone affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps will be denied entry. Mehdi Taj, head of Iran's football federation, previously served as a commander in the IRGC. Iran maintains compulsory national military service that can include IRGC units, creating additional visa complications for federation personnel.
Iranian nationals living in Iran or elsewhere will not be permitted to travel to the United States for any of Iran's matches. " Los Angeles, a possible venue, has a large Iranian-American population that includes supporters of the former Shah, raising the prospect of demonstrations during Iran's matches.
Iran's national team has faced anti-government protests at previous tournaments, including the 1998 World Cup in France and the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Trita Parsi, co-founder of the Quincy Institute, said observers do not expect the kind of fan interactions seen in 1998. U.S. and Iran last met at the 1998 World Cup, where players exchanged flowers before the match.
U.S. " If both teams finish second in their groups, they would meet again in Texas on July 3.
