Iran’s World Cup players have been granted visas to enter the United States ahead of their opening match, a U.S. official has confirmed, although several members of the team’s administrative staff are still awaiting clearance.
The White House official told Reuters on Friday, 10 days before Iran’s first match in Los Angeles—that visas had been issued to the players.
The confirmation followed remarks by Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, who said on Thursday that the squad had not yet received the necessary documents.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday that some officials still waiting for visas include Executive Director Mehdi Kharati, Football Federation Secretary-General Hedayat Mombini and Media Director Mohsen Motamedkia.
According to the report, staff members without visas are expected to travel to Mexico alongside the team while efforts continue to secure entry permits for them.
The United States, Mexico and Canada will jointly host the World Cup, which begins on Wednesday.
The tournament comes amid tensions between the U.S. and Iran, making it the first World Cup since 1930 in which a host nation is set to receive a country it is effectively in conflict with.
Iran has relocated its tournament base from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, following visa complications and rising sentiment in Tehran that the team should limit its time in the United States.
The squad is expected to arrive in Tijuana early on Sunday.
Iran will open its Group G campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15. The team is also scheduled to face Belgium before meeting Egypt in Seattle.
Pasandideh said the United States had not formally indicated any opposition to Iran’s presence in the tournament.
However, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on Tuesday that individuals linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps would not be allowed entry into the country as part of the delegation.
Mehdi Taj, president of Iran’s football federation and a former Revolutionary Guards commander, was previously denied entry for the World Cup draw in Washington in December.
Pasandideh said Iran’s participation in the tournament reflects a desire for peace despite ongoing tensions with Washington.
“Iran’s participation in the World Cup, even on the soil of what is seen as its enemy shows that Iran seeks peace,” he said through a Spanish interpreter at the Iranian embassy in Mexico City.
Efforts toward a broader peace agreement between Iran and the United States have progressed slowly, with both sides continuing military posturing while engaging in negotiations on an interim arrangement.
