Mexico, June 9: The Iranian national football team will be allowed to enter the United States one day before each of their World Cup matches. This confirmation was made by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday, dismissing previous reports that the team would have to travel on match days.
The clarification comes after concerns were raised following statements from Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Panzadeh, suggesting that the team would need to arrive and depart on the same day as their matches.
A DHS spokesperson stated, “It is not the case that Iran will be forced to arrive on match day. These claims are incorrect. Thanks to President Donald Trump’s leniency, the Iranian team will be able to arrive one day before their matches.”
Currently, the Iranian team is training in Tijuana, Mexico. After weeks of uncertainty, U.S. officials granted visas to all members of the Iranian team just ten days before the tournament begins.
However, several officials from the Iranian delegation were denied entry, including the team manager, two team analysts, the media director, and a representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as reported by the Iranian embassy in Mexico.
Iran will kick off their World Cup campaign on June 15 against New Zealand in Los Angeles. They will then face Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21, followed by a match against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
Initially, Iran’s training camp was set to be in Arizona, but it was relocated due to safety concerns following declarations of war against Iran from the U.S. and Israel in February.
President Trump announced in March that Iran would be welcomed to the tournament but also indicated that it would not be appropriate for players to remain in the U.S. between matches.
Deependra Singh Chundawat is a Senior Sub-Editor at Udaipur Kiran, specializing in a wide range of technology topics including mobile phones, applications, gaming, PCs, and wearables. Along with covering the latest tech news, he also creates engaging web stories. Passionate about emerging technologies, he stays up to date with the newest trends and enjoys reading and writing about the latest mobile launches and digital innovations.
