Iran trains in Mexico as US World Cup border troubles mount
Iran's World Cup ticket allocation has been cancelled, and 13 delegation members remain without visas, forcing the team to base itself in Mexico. Meanwhile, a Somali referee was turned away, an Iraqi striker was held for seven hours in Chicago, and Senegalese players were body-searched on arrival.
Iran's national football team is training in Tijuana under tight security and logistical constraints, with less than a week before the squad is due to cross into the US for their opening World Cup match — and with a still-unresolved dispute over visas for 13 members of their delegation and the revocation of their ticket allocation for all three group games.
The Iranian Football Federation said on Tuesday that its entire allocation of 8% of capacity for each of its matches — against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt — had been cancelled without explanation. The federation issued a formal protest.
At the FIFA Congress in Vancouver in April, FIFA President Gianni Infantino opened his remarks by stating he was "confirming, straight away, for those who want to say something else or write something else, that of course Iran will be participating at the FIFA World Cup 2026. And of course Iran will play in the United States of America."
Prior to his statement at the congress, he also made an unannounced appearance at Iran's warm-up match against Costa Rica in Turkey, where he told reporters Iran would be at the World Cup.
"That's why we're here," Infantino said. "I've seen the team, I've spoken to the players and the coach, so everything is fine."
Iran's sports minister Ahmad Donyamali said Infantino gave him a direct personal promise.
US President Donald Trump separately told Infantino that Iran was "welcome to compete," which Infantino shared publicly on Instagram.
The US had previously refused to issue visas to 13 members of Iran's technical and administrative staff. It remains unclear whether Iranian players will be permitted to enter the US only on match days or one day earlier, as FIFA's protocol requires.
Under FIFA's schedule, the squad must arrive the day before the 15 June opener against New Zealand in Los Angeles to fulfil media obligations, with head coach Amir Ghalenoei's press conference scheduled for 3:45 pm local time on Monday 25 June at the match stadium.
The team is based at Tijuana, just across the Mexican border from San Diego, to minimise the distance they need to travel into US territory.
They will return to Tijuana before travelling to Inglewood for the Belgium game on 21 June and then to Seattle for the Egypt fixture.
Iran's preparation for the tournament has been severely disrupted by the war. After months of cancelled fixtures and diplomatic uncertainty, the squad travelled to a training camp in Turkey before eventually entering Mexico via Spain.
Their final planned warm-up match, reportedly against Granada, was cancelled due to the opponent's unavailability.
The IRGC's designation as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US and Canada — both World Cup co-hosts — has complicated visa processing for team officials throughout the preparation period.
Somali official barred
The wider tournament has been marked by immigration difficulties affecting multiple delegations, while a FIFA-selected Somali referee who would have made history as the first from his country to officiate at a World Cup was turned away at Miami airport five days before the tournament begins.
Omar Abdulkadir Artan, 34, was one of 52 officials chosen to officiate at the World Cup and one of seven from Africa, but was denied entry by US Customs and Border Protection.
Artan was named CAF's referee of the year for 2025 — the highest individual honour in African officiating — and had refereed the CAF Champions League final in Cairo on 1 June 2025.
He became the first Somali to officiate at AFCON 2024, where he took charge of Tunisia's shock defeat to Namibia and Mauritania's historic victory over Algeria, two of the tournament's most memorable upsets.
Somalia's senior sports ministry adviser Ciise Aden Abshir told AFP the decision "harms not only him personally but also undermines football's commitment to fairness, merit, and the spirit of fair play."
FIFA said it had been told his situation "will not change at this time" and confirmed he would not officiate.
Trump issued an executive order in June 2025 banning citizens of 12 countries, including Iran and Somalia, from entering the US.
Other teams face hurdles
Iraq's star striker was separately detained for around seven hours at Chicago O'Hare International Airport for security checks. Aymen Hussein, who plays for Al-Karma SC in Iraq, was eventually cleared to enter.
US Customs and Border Protection said all travellers, including athletes, were "subject to inspection and vetting" on a case-by-case basis.
Videos circulating on social media showed Senegalese players subjected to body searches in what appeared to be an area adjacent to the airport runway. Senegal is drawn in Group F with France, Iraq and Norway.
Uzbekistan's squad, including head coach Fabio Cannavaro, were checked by federal officers with police dogs outside their team bus before a warm-up match against the Netherlands in New York, which Uzbekistan lost 2-1.
The upcoming World Cup appearance will be Uzbekistan's historic first. Cannavaro won the tournament as Italy's captain in 2006.
Iran is one of Asia's most experienced World Cup sides and is making its fourth consecutive appearance at the tournament.
Iran's “Yuzs” or Persian Leopards are grouped with New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in Group G. Belgium is ranked among Europe's stronger sides, while New Zealand qualified as Oceania's representative.
