Forced to base in Tijuana, banned from entering the US more than a day before kickoff, and made to leave the same night they play — Iran says enough is enough
Most teams at this World Cup are worrying about tactics and form. Iran is worrying about whether it can even get into the country to play.
The Football Federation of Iran has announced plans to lodge a formal complaint with FIFA over what it describes as severe travel and visa restrictions imposed on its national team during the 2026 World Cup group stage in the United States. Iran wanted to fly from its base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, to the United States two days before its next group match against Belgium in Los Angeles on Sunday. The request was turned down.
It’s the latest flashpoint in a tournament that was supposed to be a celebration of football — and is instead, for one team at least, turning into a logistical and diplomatic headache that simply won’t go away.
Why Iran Is Based in Mexico in the First Place
This entire situation traces back to visa chaos before a ball was even kicked.
Iran had a troubled build-up to the World Cup because of the war in the Middle East. The team switched its training base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana on the US-Mexico border shortly before the tournament began, and said up to 15 team officials had been refused visas to enter the United States.
That forced an awkward arrangement that’s now playing out match by match. Because of the uncertainty over visas and the ongoing war, Iranian team members have been commuting from their tournament base in co-host Mexico for all three of their group games in the United States.
The Rule That’s Causing All the Trouble
Here’s the restriction at the center of the complaint, in plain terms.
Under the current arrangements, Iran is only permitted to enter the United States one day before a match and must leave the country on the same day the fixture is completed. US authorities have mandated that the team enter the country no earlier than 24 hours before kickoff and depart almost immediately after the final whistle.
For context on just how punishing this is — the Iranian delegation left the US hours after their opening match in Los Angeles ended at around 8pm local time, returning straight to their base camp in Mexico without getting a single day to recover at their hotel.
No recovery day. No adjustment period. Straight off the pitch and back across the border.
“Most Oppressed Team in the Tournament”
The frustration boiled over publicly after Iran’s opening game.
The restrictions prompted head coach Amir Ghalenoei to describe Iran as the tournament’s “most oppressed” team following their 2-2 draw with New Zealand in Los Angeles. Ghalenoei said after that match that the team would have preferred to arrive in the host city at least two days before kickoff to complete preparations and adjust to local conditions, explaining that the coaching staff’s plan required travelling to the host city two days before each match for optimal preparation.
That’s not an unusual request. It’s standard practice for most international teams at a World Cup. For Iran, it’s been denied twice now.
What Iran’s Federation Is Actually Saying
The Football Federation of Iran didn’t hold back in its official statement.
“Despite having submitted its preparation schedule for the tournament well in advance, Iran’s national football team has once again encountered restrictions imposed by the organisers, affecting the implementation of its technical staff’s plans,” a federation spokesperson said.
The dispute touches on visa rules, match preparation, US entry limits, and broader concerns over fair treatment during the tournament. In its statement, the FFIRI argued that the measures are inconsistent with equal treatment for participating nations and warned they could negatively affect the team’s preparation, adding that the federation would formally express its dissatisfaction and lodge an official complaint with FIFA through the appropriate channels.
The US Response: “These Were the Rules All Along”
American officials aren’t backing down, and they’re pointing straight at FIFA’s own regulations.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, said Iran had been informed in advance that they would only be allowed into the United States the day before a match. “The team will be allowed to come in, match day minus one, so the day before the match,” Giuliani told CBS News. “They’ll be asked to leave the day that the match wraps up, so the evening of the match.”
Giuliani has said these were previously mandated rules stemming from the war — but he also noted those restrictions align with FIFA’s own guidelines for general team travel. FIFA’s 2026 World Cup regulations state in Article 18.3 that each team shall travel from its base camp to the match venue one day before matchday, in exceptional cases two days before, and shall return to the base camp after the match.
That’s the crux of the dispute — Iran says the rule is being applied to them unfairly and rigidly, while US organisers say they’re simply following the standard tournament.
The War’s Shadow Hasn’t Lifted
What makes this especially complicated is that the underlying conflict that triggered these restrictions hasn’t fully resolved.
The restrictions on the Iran team have not been lifted despite an interim agreement to end the war with the U.S. and Israel. Some team staff are still caught in visa limbo. Several team officials and support staff have been unable to secure visas to the US, and player Mehdi Torabi had to visit the US consulate in Tijuana to get a new visa after the first match.
It’s a reminder that even with a peace framework now in place between Washington and Tehran, the practical, on-the-ground consequences of months of conflict don’t disappear overnight — not even for a football team trying to compete at the World Cup.
What Happens Next
Iran will play its final group-stage game against Egypt in Seattle on June 26. Both their remaining matches will require additional travel from Mexico under the same entry conditions currently in place. The federation says it hopes FIFA will review the situation and address its concerns before the tournament progresses further.
As of Friday, neither FIFA nor the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had publicly responded to the federation’s complaint.
For now, Iran’s players keep doing what they’ve done all tournament — training in Tijuana, crossing the border for matchday, and heading straight back the moment the final whistle blows. Whether FIFA steps in before the Egypt match is the next thing to watch.