The Iran football team will be allowed to take part in the World Cup matches in US soil on the condition that the unit will only be allowed to set foot in America from the morning of their scheduled matches and will have to leave the country immediately after the final whistle is blown, according to a report by the Mirror as per Goal.com. “We can enter in the morning and we must leave the same day,” Iran’s ambassador to Mexico Abolfazl Pasandideh said, as per the report. The mandate was due to the situation created by the war between the two countries. On Sunday morning, Iran arrived in Mexico for training ahead of the World Cup, before three group matches in the United States later this month. Ehsan Hajsafi was the first player to exit the plane with markings for German charter airline USC, which arrived at about 5:05 a.m. He led the team, dressed in blue blazers over white T-shirts, through a brief security check with Mexican officials and dogs before boarding a bus. The bus stopped briefly at the entrance to the Tijuana airport, where around 20 or so Iran fans waved flags. The team’s participation in the World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, has been complicated by the Iran war. Problems with processing visas earlier led Iran to move its training base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, which is on the border with California. Also Read | Iran in attempts to move fixtures to Mexico for 2026 FIFA football world cup The team has been training in the Turkish city of Antalya. It flew directly to Mexico on a private jet from the Mediterranean city’s airport. Some members of their entourage were reportedly still without U.S. visas, according to Iranian state television on Saturday. Those include the Iranian Football Federation’s secretary-general, Hedayat Mombeini, and its vice president, Mehdi Mohammad Nabi. Story continues below this ad Iran plays its first two games in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15, and Belgium six days later, then heads to Seattle to face Egypt on June 26. Iran and the U.S. could meet in the round of 32 on July 3 in Arlington, Texas, if both teams come second in their groups.
Iran team permitted on US soil only on days of their World Cup matches: Report
