Iranian national football team granted US visas for World Cup

On Friday, June 5, a White House official confirmed that the Iranian national football team members have received the necessary visas to enter the United States for the upcoming World Cup. This decision follows negotiations involving the Iranian Football Federation, led by Mehdi Taj, and FIFA. The players submitted their passports to the U.S. embassy in Ankara, Turkey, where the team was conducting its preparation. The team is scheduled to travel from Turkey to Spain on Saturday, June 6, before heading to their base in Mexico, which has also granted them entry visas. Iran is placed in Group 7 and will play matches against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 in Los Angeles, followed by a match against Egypt on June 27 in Seattle. Due to earlier uncertainty regarding the visas, the team had canceled a reservation at a training facility in Arizona and opted to relocate their base to Tijuana, Mexico. Iranian officials have expressed a preference to minimize the duration of the team's stay on American soil during the tournament.