With the United States refusing to issue visas to some members of Iran's national soccer team ahead of the World Cup opener, the tournament is turning into a stage for diplomatic friction.
On the 7th (local time), major foreign media including CNN, the Guardian, and Al Jazeera reported that the United States recently issued visas to Iran's players but did not allow entry for some administrative and operations staff. The Iranian government claims that as many as 15 people were denied visas, including Mehdi Taj, the Iran Football Federation president.
The Iran team arrived that day in Tijuana, a border city in northwestern Mexico. After holding a training camp in Antalya, Türkiye, for the past three weeks, the squad moved to Mexico. Tijuana borders San Diego in the United States, and Iran plans to use it as its base camp during the group stage.
The Guardian reported that the Iran Football Federation initially sought to set up a base camp in Arizona in the United States but changed plans due to uncertainty over visa issuance.
Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei said at Tijuana Airport, "We should have arrived here last week," adding, "It takes at least two weeks to adapt to the 12-hour time difference." He added, "At international tournaments, there should be human and ethical considerations before match preparation, but there was no such consideration for us," criticizing the situation.
Team captain Ehsan Hajsafi also expressed frustration, saying, "I can't understand why the visas were issued so late." He said, "Over the past year, our country has gone through two wars," but added, "The national team is 100% ready and we believe we can get through the group stage."
The reason this controversy is being taken even more sensitively in Iran lies in soccer's symbolism. CNN assessed that soccer is a symbolic presence in Iranian society that unites the people across politics, class, and region. It also analyzed that while qualifying for the World Cup finals has long been a source of national pride, the recent overlap of war, economic hardship, and political turmoil has given this tournament diplomatic symbolism beyond sports.
The Iran Football Federation called the U.S. move "the worst form of political interference in sports." Federation president Mehdi Taj told the semi-official outlet ISNA that "it's unknown how far the U.S. obstruction will continue" and that "it also runs counter to fairness among participating countries."
The two sides also offered differing views on the team's conditions for staying in the United States. Abolfazl Pasandideh, Iran's ambassador to Mexico, claimed the team was notified it must enter the United States on match day and depart on match day. In contrast, the team Spokesperson said the squad had been issued multiple-entry visas and would arrive at the host city a day or two before each match.
The U.S. government said all necessary visas had been issued. A government official told CNN, "All visas required to participate in the World Cup, including for players and essential support staff, have been issued." However, without specifying those who were denied, the official added, "We will not allow the Iran team to exploit this system to smuggle terrorists into the United States under false pretenses."
Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said in April that while there were no issues with the Iranian players, some members of the delegation could be linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which the United States designates as a terrorist organization.