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Iran's players got their visas

1 min Philippe Naggar

Iran's national football team will travel to the United States by charter flight on June 14 — just one day before their opening World Cup match against New Zealand in Los Angeles, the Iranian Football Federation confirmed Tuesday.

The team arrived Sunday at their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico © Mena Today 

The team arrived Sunday at their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico © Mena Today 

Iran's national football team will travel to the United States by charter flight on June 14 — just one day before their opening World Cup match against New Zealand in Los Angeles, the Iranian Football Federation confirmed Tuesday.

"For the two subsequent matches, we will arrive two days before kick-off," federation spokesman Mehdi Alavi told ISNA news agency.

The team arrived Sunday at their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, one of the three co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup alongside the US and Canada, after weeks of uncertainty over their participation amid the ongoing war in the Middle East. Players eventually obtained their US visas, though some members of the coaching staff were not as fortunate.

Iran face New Zealand on June 15 in Los Angeles, Belgium on June 21, also in Los Angeles, and Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.

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Philippe Naggar

Philippe Naggar

Philippe Naggar is a French-Egyptian journalist. Based in Abu Dhabi, he covers news across the Middle East and the Gulf region. He previously lived for several years in Tehran, giving him a solid expertise on Iran

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