Tijuana, Baja California — Iran’s national soccer team arrived in Mexico early Sunday for the 2026 World Cup, but a diplomatic dispute with the United States over visas has thrown their participation into turmoil.
The Iranian squad flew from its training camp in Turkey to Tijuana, the border city chosen as its base for the tournament co-hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada. However, last-minute US visa restrictions threaten to disrupt the team’s logistics.
Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, told reporters in Tijuana that 15 members of the delegation — mostly executives and technical staff, including the head of Iran’s football federation, Mehdi Taj — were denied entry documents. He described the situation as “discriminatory treatment at the highest level.”
“They can enter in the morning and have to leave the same day,” Pasandideh said.
US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack had earlier stated that visas were granted to players and “essential personnel,” but the reality on the ground proved different. A senior US administration official justified the restrictions on national security grounds, saying: “We will not let the Iranian team abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretenses.”
The visa crisis forces Iran to travel from Tijuana to match venues in Los Angeles and Seattle under a grueling schedule of charter flights or expedited border crossings coordinated by FIFA, solely to play their group-stage matches.
Iran’s participation had already been uncertain following military clashes with a US-Israeli coalition on February 28. Hours after the visa dispute emerged, the US announced new strikes on Iranian territory, violating a fragile ceasefire in place since April.
Despite the geopolitical turmoil, Iran showed strong form in recent friendlies in Europe, beating Gambia 3-1 and Mali 2-0. Their World Cup debut is scheduled for June 15 in Los Angeles.
