Iranian National Team Lands in Mexico – Arduous Journey to the World Cup
Tijuana, June 7, 2026
AI-generated image (flux-2/pro-text-to-image via Kie.ai)
Summary
The Iranian national football team has arrived in Tijuana after a weeks-long dispute over US visas. While players and coaches received entry permits, dozens of officials are being denied entry to the USA – they will have to play their matches as day visitors.
Tijuana, June 7, 2026
The Iranian national football team arrived in Tijuana in northern Mexico in the early hours of Sunday morning (local time), from where it will play its three group matches at the World Cup in the USA.
Arrival Under Military Guard
According to the AFP news agency, the Iranian delegation landed in Tijuana on Sunday at around 5 a.m. (local time). At the airport, some fans with Iranian flags were waiting, according to eyewitness accounts, while soldiers from the Mexican National Guard secured the area. Midfielder Amirmohammad Razzaghinia smiled into the camera and gave a thumbs-up while boarding in Antalya, Iranian media reported.
The Iranian team traveled from the Turkish city of Antalya, where it had held a training camp. The Iranian Football Federation had originally planned to set up its World Cup base in the US state of Arizona, in Tucson. Due to the military conflict with the USA, however, the federation relocated its base camp to the border area of southern California in Tijuana at the end of May.
Background: War Between the USA and Iran
The background is the military conflict between the USA and Iran, which began at the end of February with bombardments by the US Army and the Israeli military on targets in Iran. It is the first time that a national team is participating in a World Cup while its country is in a state of war with a host nation.
The dispute over visa issuance has been ongoing for weeks. On Friday, members of the Iranian team had submitted their passports to the US Embassy in the Turkish capital Ankara. As the responsible US ambassador in Ankara, Barrack, announced, the visas for players, coaches, and other parts of the team staff were subsequently approved. According to US government information, all visas necessary for World Cup participation have been issued.
Players Receive Visas – Officials Do Not
The situation is different for numerous officials. According to Iranian sources, a total of 15 members of the Iranian World Cup delegation were denied visas; the Iranian news agency Tasnim spoke of twelve rejected applications. An official confirmation from the federation was initially still pending. Those affected, according to these reports, include the team manager, representatives of the Foreign Ministry and the security department, as well as the team's press officer.
As Iranian media further reported, federation president Mehdi Taj is also among those affected. According to the AFP news agency, he was formerly a commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards – the organization designated as terrorist by the USA. US Secretary of State Rubio had emphasized during the week that Iran would not be allowed to include people with ties to the Revolutionary Guards in its delegation. Back in December, Taj had been unable to attend the World Cup draw in Washington because he had not received a visa.
Sharp Criticism from Tehran
The Iranian Embassy in Turkey sharply criticized the visa refusals. It spoke of "arbitrary and discriminatory treatment of the Iranian team" and declared that the discrimination had been "raised to the highest level." The Iranian Football Federation described the behavior of the US authorities as "political interference in sport in its worst form" and announced that it would pursue the case through FIFA, as the world governing body is obliged to guarantee visas for federation officials as well.
Those affected are nevertheless to accompany the national team to Tijuana, in order to submit new visa applications for the USA once in Mexico. The Iranian ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, told journalists in Tijuana that they hoped the officials would receive a visa before Iran's first match.
Day Visitors on US Soil
While the team can therefore take to the field at full strength personnel-wise, an unusual logistical program awaits them. According to the Iranian ambassador in Mexico, the Iranian national players are only allowed to enter the USA on match days and must return to their base in neighboring Mexico on the same day. "Only playing is allowed on US territory," the Iranian Embassy summarized this arrangement. Team spokesman Amir Mahdi Alawi said, on the other hand, that the visas authorized repeated entry, and that the players would arrive one or two days before the matches.
As federation president Taj explained on Sunday on Iranian television, the team would be allowed to enter the USA on the day before the matches. A final resolution between Iranian and US authorities therefore remains pending.
Three Matches in the USA, Base in Mexico
These organizational hurdles come on top of an already tight schedule. The Iranians' first group match takes place on June 16 at 6 p.m. local time in Los Angeles against New Zealand. The third group-stage match will be held on June 27 in Seattle against Egypt. In between, the Iranian team will face Belgium on June 21, also in Los Angeles. All three of the Iranians' group matches will take place in the USA.
The base camp in Tijuana, located directly on the border with the US state of California and south of San Diego, is over 1,700 kilometers in a straight line from Seattle – an enormous distance for round trips on a match day. Added to this are further FIFA obligations: the coach of a national team, for example, must give a press conference at the match venue on the eve of a game, which also has to be logistically coordinated with the base location in Mexico.
Open Questions Ahead of the Tournament
The World Cup, which kicks off on Thursday with the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, is the first to be held in three countries: the USA, Mexico, and Canada. It runs from June 11 to July 19. Neither FIFA nor the US government had officially commented on the ongoing visa dispute by the editorial deadline of this report.
The Iranian Embassy in Turkey summarized the situation with gloomy words ahead of the upcoming tournament: The team had to prepare for a World Cup "full of sporting and bureaucratic hurdles." Whether and when the officials still waiting will receive their visas remains open – and will show whether the Iranian delegation will ultimately be able to appear in the USA in full.
Questions & Answers
Why is the Iranian team in Mexico and not in the USA?
The Iranian federation relocated its World Cup base, originally planned for Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana in Mexico at the end of May, because the USA and Iran have been in a military conflict since the end of February.
Which officials were denied a US visa?
According to Iranian media reports, among those denied entry to the USA were federation president Mehdi Taj, the team manager, representatives of the Foreign Ministry and the security department, as well as the press officer; the total number of rejected applications is given as twelve to 15.
Where and against whom does Iran play in the group stage?
The Iranians will play all three group matches in the USA: on June 16 in Los Angeles against New Zealand, on June 21 also in Los Angeles against Belgium, and on June 27 in Seattle against Egypt.
Iran World Cup 2026: Team Lands in Mexico – Visa Dispute | allfacts360
