Iran Team Exits U.S. Quickly Post-world Cup Amid Tensions
WHO:
Al Jazeera - Mehdi Torabi, an Iranian winger, was issued a new multiple-entry visa after his previous one expired following the match against New Zealand.
Daily Mail - Two of Iran's star players were held at the U.S. border after the game.
Sportskeeda - Iran manager Amir Ghalenoei
Deadline - Iranian football team
WHAT:
Al Jazeera - U.S. officials confirmed that Iran’s team will have to leave the country within hours of the full-time whistle at their World Cup group games in Los Angeles and Seattle.
Al Jazeera - Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, stated, “The team will be allowed to come in, match day minus one, so the day before the match. They’ll be asked to leave the day that the match wraps up, so the evening of the match.”
Daily Mail - Iran's participation in the tournament has been uncertain since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in February.
CNN - The Iranian team had expected to spend the night in California after their match but was ordered to leave immediately for Tijuana, a 140-mile trip.
CNN - Coach Amir Ghalenoei stated, “They said to us, ‘You have to leave immediately.’ It’s very important for us to have time for recovery, (but) we are asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Tijuana, and we are really troubled by that.”
CNN - The remaining two games for Iran in the group stage are against Belgium in Inglewood and Egypt in Seattle.
CNN - The Iranian team was ordered to return to its training base in Mexico only a few hours after their match against New Zealand, which ended in a 2-2 draw.
CNN - Coach Amir Ghalenoei stated that the team was not given time to recover after the match, saying, “They didn’t even give us time to recover.”
CNN - Ghalenoei mentioned that several players developed cramps during the game due to a lack of proper preparation time, attributing this to “the travel” and bureaucratic obstacles.
CNN - Iran captain Mehdi Taremi reported that the team endured five hours of travel and security checks during their trip from Tijuana to the Los Angeles area.
CNN - Taremi expressed dissatisfaction with the situation, stating, “I think FIFA have to help us more than this. … Everything is like a disaster, actually, for us.”
Sportskeeda - The Iranian team was forced to exit the United States ahead of schedule following their 2026 FIFA World Cup clash against New Zealand.
Deadline - The Iranian football team had a 2-2 draw with New Zealand in the World Cup group stage.
Deadline - U.S. officials ordered the team to leave the country immediately after the match.
WHERE:
CNN - The Iranian team is returning to its training base in Tijuana, Mexico, after their match in Los Angeles.
Sportskeeda - United States
Deadline - United States
WHEN:
Deadline - The match against New Zealand occurred yesterday.
WHY:
Al Jazeera - Giuliani mentioned that some of the Iranian team’s support staff and team officials were denied entry into the U.S. due to direct ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
CNN - The Iranian team's World Cup cycle has been disrupted since the U.S. and Israel began a war against Iran on February 28.
CNN - The team faced difficulties in preparation due to the denial of visas to many important staff members, including the president of Iran’s football federation and coaching support personnel.
Deadline - The team was forced to leave amid protests against Tehran.
HOW:
Daily Mail - FIFA president Gianni Infantino visited Iran's locker room after their opening game, where he made a joke about playing for the team.
CNN - Ghalenoei mentioned that several players developed cramps during the game, attributing it to the lack of proper preparation time caused by bureaucratic and diplomatic obstacles.
Deadline - Amir Ghalenoei described his team as the “most oppressed team in the whole World Cup.”
Iranian winger Mehdi Torabi has been issued a new multiple-entry visa after his previous one expired following the match against New Zealand. U.S. officials confirmed that Iran's team must leave the country within hours after their World Cup group games in Los Angeles and Seattle, with Andrew Giuliani from the White House FIFA Task Force stating they can enter the day before the match but must depart immediately after. Giuliani also noted that some members of the Iranian team's support staff and officials were denied entry due to their direct ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.