Iran World Cup squad still in visa limbo 10 days before first match, ambassador says

MEXICO CITY, June 5 : Iran's ambassador to Mexico said his nation's soccer squad still had not received their U.S. visas just 10 days before their first World Cup match in Los Angeles, raising the possibility that the team won't be able to compete in the tournament amid a continuing conflict between the two countries.  

“We will keep trying until the final moment to enter (the U.S.) and play,” Abolfazl Pasandideh said, speaking through a Spanish interpreter at the Iranian embassy in Mexico City.

Pasandideh described a frenetic few weeks navigating a nine‑hour time difference with Tehran while negotiating a last minute move of the team's base from Arizona to Tijuana due to the visa issues and a growing feeling in Iran that the squad’s presence in the United States should be kept to a minimum.

They are scheduled to land in Tijuana early Sunday morning.

“Sport and the World Cup were created to bring nations closer together. But we are not witnessing that right now,” Pasandideh said.

The U.S. has never formally said it did not want the Iran team to stay on its territory, the ambassador said.

“But through its actions, it has shown that Iranians have no place there,” he added, praising Mexican officials for welcoming the team and fast‑tracking their visas.

The White House and U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Iran war has turned the World Cup – the biggest global sporting event – into a geopolitical contest, with both sides appearing to use the tournament for political posturing.

It is the first World Cup, since its inception in 1930, in which a host nation is set to receive a country it is at war with. 

Iran’s desire to compete in the tournament underscores its efforts to reach a resolution