Iran coach and players criticize US travel restrictions ahead of World Cup match

US temporarily eases restrictions on Iran’s world cup team The United States has eased restrictions on Iran’s football team for the World Cup, allowing them to travel into the US two days before their next match rather than one, according to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The restrictions placed on the players had led the Iranian coach to say that his country’s was “the most oppressed team in the whole World Cup”. A DHS spokesperson said that the Iranian team will still be required to leave the day the match ends. Iranian football team players warm up before the FIFA World Cup 2026 match between Belgium and Iran at Los Angeles Stadium on 21 June 2026 (Harry How/AFP)

Iran coach criticises World Cup travel restrictions before Belgium match Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei has criticised what he described as increasingly difficult preparation conditions ahead of his team's World Cup match against Belgium, saying that "conditions have become even harder" than they were before Iran's opening game against New Zealand. Iran have been based in Tijuana, Mexico, throughout the tournament and have travelled into the United States for their Group G matches due to restrictions on their stay. Ghalenoei said the latest travel arrangements left his squad with less than 16 hours to prepare and reduced training time by half. "We only managed to train half the time we usually spend on training. We wanted to have optimal physical and technical preparation," he told reporters.   Amir Ghalenoei attends a press conference ahead of Iran’s FIFA World Cup 2026 Group G match against Belgium in California, 20 June 2026 (Harry How/Getty Images via AFP)

Iran team blames US for 'disastrous' restrictions at World Cup Iranian football players have voiced frustration over recurring World Cup hurdles against their participation in the tournament, pointing to politically driven decisions by US authorities as the source of restrictions. Team Melli have been subject to travel restrictions since the tournament kicked off last week. Players and coaching staff say the travel schedules are impacting their match performance. After their match with New Zealand in Los Angeles on Monday, the team was forced to fly back to their base camp in Mexico on the same day. It was not the team’s choice to fly back, as they had planned to hold a recovery session in Los Angeles the next day, striker Mehdi Taremi and goalscorer Mohammad Mohebi said in press interviews. “They have said we have to leave immediately,” head coach Amir Ghalenoei added. Read more: Iran team blames US for 'disastrous' restrictions at World Cup Members of the Iran coaching team during the national anthems before the New Zealand match as fans display pre-Iranian Revolution 'Lion and Sun' flags behind them, 15 June (Reuters/Daniel Cole)  

Iran team blames US for 'disastrous' restrictions at World Cup Submitted by Ayse Betul on Wed, 06/17/2026 - 10:40 Frustrated by US travel restrictions, Iranian players say Fifa should have done more to support them Members of the Iran coaching team during the national anthems before the New Zealand match as fans display pre-Iranian Revolution 'Lion and Sun' flags behind them, 15 June (Reuters/Daniel Cole) Off Iranian football players have voiced frustration over recurring World Cup hurdles against their participation in the tournament, pointing to politically driven decisions by US authorities as the source of restrictions. Team Melli have been subject to travel restrictions since the tournament kicked off last week. Players and coaching staff say the travel schedules are impacting their match performance. After their match with New Zealand in Los Angeles on Monday, the team was forced to fly back to their base camp in Mexico on the same day. It was not the team’s choice to fly back, as they had planned to hold a recovery session in Los Angeles the next day, striker Mehdi Taremi and goalscorer Mohammad Mohebi said in press interviews. “They have said we have to leave immediately,” head coach Amir Ghalenoei added. World Cup 2026: Iran's spirited display against New Zealand eases tensions among divided supporters Read More » “We are really troubled by that. We don’t know why they are returning us, to be honest. It seems very strange. "It seems others are doing the planning for us. Our team is the most oppressed one in the whole World Cup. “Everything is like a disaster, actually, for us,” Taremi added. The Iranian coach and players also noted that they were forced to fly to Los Angeles just one day before the match with New Zealand. They had wanted to arrive two days prior, as the tight schedule left them with barely 24 hours in the city before kickoff. Amid these hurdles, when the Iranian team arrived in Los Angeles, they were met by a small group of protesters from the Iranian diaspora carrying American, Israeli, and pre-revolution Iranian flags. Fifa’s response The visa issues and travel bans facing the Iranian team were put in place months before the tournament kicked off, as Taremi told reporters, adding that they are “just tired of this situation”. Eleven staffers had been denied entry into the United States, an Iranian Football Federation official said. “Our president isn’t here, our media isn’t here, many of our management team aren’t here,” Ghalenoei said. Speaking during a post-match interview, players Taremi and Mohebi, alongside head coach Ghalenoei, voiced frustration over the obstacles to multiple journalists, even though Fifa officials tried to cut the interview short, according to The Athletic. When asked about Fifa president Gianni Infantino, who he said had visited the team after their match, Taremi said: “For sure, he wants to try to help us, but it’s about other things too. World Cup 2026: For some fans, the tournament ends at the US border Read More » “You know, everyone knows. (I don’t) need to mention that, because you know where we are,” he added, hinting that US authorities were to blame. “I know what you go through, I understand,” Infantino told the players when he visited their locker room and seemed to acknowledge some of the troubles, Iran’s news agency Tasnim reported. “But you are stronger than everything, and you send a strong message to the entire world.” Ghalenoei responded by mentioning the need for Fifa to be strong. Both players and the head coach called the situation unfair and tiring, but said it will not stop them from performing at their best during matches. “It’s not good for us, you know? It’s not good for football, because in a World Cup, you have to prepare well for the next game, because it is a lot of stress for the players, staff, and everyone. But we don’t have that support, and I think Fifa has to help us more than this,” Taremi told reporters. Just days before the World Cup started, Iran's Football Federation had its ticket allocation, amounting to eight percent of the stadium's capacity, revoked by Fifa at the last minute, leaving most supporters unable to attend. The Iranian federation blamed the US for Fifa’s action, saying: "The United States has now taken steps to obstruct the presence of Iranian supporters at the stadiums. "The incident raises serious questions about the influence of non-sporting and political considerations on the organisation of the world's biggest football event." World Cup 2026 News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Iran’s national soccer team is dealing with unnecessary hardship during the World Cup thanks to the Trump administration, with acquiescence from FIFA, international soccer’s governing body.The team was forced to leave the U.S. immediately after its World Cup match with New Zealand Monday night in Los Angeles, which ended in a hard-fought 2–2 draw, and head back to their Tijuana, Mexico, base camp.“After the game today they said to us, ‘You have to leave immediately,’” coach Amir Ghalenoi told the press after the match. “Whereas today it’s very important for us to have recovery.“We’ve been asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Tijuana, and we are really troubled by that. They are forcing us to go back early. They are making the situation more and more difficult, more hurdles, but we’re not going to let that stop us from doing our best.”Iran wasn’t even supposed to have its tournament base camp in Mexico. They were forced to abandon their original plans for a base camp in Tucson, Arizona, thanks to the Trump administration, which isn’t letting them stay overnight in the U.S. despite their group stage games taking place in Los Angeles and Seattle. Their fan base is also being punished: Iran’s entire ticket allocation was taken away last week, although it’s not clear if that was a U.S. or FIFA decision.Before their match, the team had to go through five hours of travel and security checks on Sunday, despite the distance between Tijuana and Los Angeles only being 140 miles. “We don’t know why they’re returning us, to be honest. I think it’s very strange. It seems like others are doing the planning for us.… We were supposed to arrive two nights before the game, but they didn’t permit [it],” Ghalenoi said. “We were supposed to stay here tonight to recover and return tomorrow lunchtime.“I think our team is the most oppressed one in the whole World Cup. Our federation isn’t here, our media isn’t here, our management isn’t here.”The U.S. government initially denied visas to 15 of the Iranian team’s support staff, later reducing that number to 11 after some visas were approved. Those excluded from the U.S. include both of the team’s media officers, analysts, and Iranian Football Federation President Mehdi Taj. Inexplicably, winger Mehdi Torabi’s visa has also expired, as he was only granted a single entry visa to the U.S., Iranian state media reported. The Iranian federation is scrambling to get Torabi a new one that lets him take part in the remaining matches.“I think it’s not good for the football,” team captain Mehdi Taremi said of the team’s situation. “In [the] World Cup, you have to prepare good for the next game, which is a lot of stress for the players and the staff and everyone. But we don’t have that support, and I think FIFA have to help us more than this. Let’s see what’s going to happen in the future.” 🚨🇮🇷 BREAKING — World Cup “Disaster”Mohammad Mohebi and Mehri Taremi Say:“Not to Make Excuses but This Is Not a Fair Competition.”Iranian Players argued they should arrive 2 days before matches instead of traveling, training, and playing while exhausted by 5 hours in… pic.twitter.com/Z0ViTFEoRO— Pamphlets (@PamphletsY) June 16, 2026