Iran’s World Cup Team Blast US Visa Row on Arrival in Mexico

Iran's World Cup squad landed in Mexico on Sunday under the shadow of a bitter diplomatic row, after the United States -- in open military conflict with Tehran -- refused to issue visas for some team support staff. 

Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei complained on arrival at Tijuana airport that "we should have been here last week because a 12-hour time difference needs two weeks of adjusting." He added: "Usually in these tournaments, before technical matters, ethical and human considerations must be respected -- which I think for us it was not the



case."

The dispute erupted just days before Thursday's kickoff of the 2026 World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. After departing from their training camp in Turkey a day earlier, the Iran team landed around 5 am (1200 GMT) Sunday in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, AFP journalists there witnessed. 

The squad and their coaching staff left their plane amid tight security which included a contingent of Mexican national guard troops. Just a handful of fans waving Iranian flags were present at the airport to welcome them from a distance.