Skip to main content

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.

Tags

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

Related

Lebanon

Mass return begins across Lebanon

Some 400,000 Lebanese uprooted by war have returned to southern Lebanon, with more expected to follow in the coming week, a government minister said on Tuesday, encouraged by a lull in the four-month-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

Qatar

Uncertainty in Doha tests Iran talks

Top U.S. envoys who have arrived in Doha will not hold a high-level meeting with Iran, a Qatari official said on Tuesday, casting doubt on the progress of efforts to bring a lasting halt to the Iran war and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Qatar

Witkoff, Kushner to visit Doha

The United States said a high-level meeting on Iran would be held in Doha on Tuesday with President Donald Trump's top envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner attending while technical talks would also continue on the sidelines.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Mena banner 4

To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.