Iran's soccer team is set to play their games in the U.S but will be based in Mexico. Orhan Cicek/Anadolu via Getty ImagesJune 5, 2026 7:51 pm EDT Updated Iran’s soccer team and “necessary support” staff have been issued visas ahead of the World Cup but Donald Trump’s government “will not allow them to to abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States”, an administration official has said.The national team has faced months of uncertainty over travel and security arrangements for the tournament since the war began on February 28, when the U.S and Israel targeted Iran with military strikes.Some federation officials with alleged ties to the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had been denied entry to the World Cup draw in Washington, D.C. in December. Iranian soccer executives were also unable to attend an Asian Football Confederation congress meeting in Canada in April due to visa issues, the body’s general secretary said at the time, generating uncertainty over the national team squad’s arrival.
When The Athletic contacted the White House on the matter of the Iran national team’s visas on Friday, a U.S administration official said: “The visas necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup, including for athletes and necessary support staff, have been issued.“We will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretenses.”Last week, Iran officially moved its base camp from Arizona, out of the U.S. to Tijuana, Mexico. The team is set to play its group-stage games in Southern California and Seattle, however.U.S president Donald Trump and his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, have said that Iran’s team is welcome at the tournament it is hosting with Canada and Mexico — after the president previously said he did not believe it is “appropriate” for the soccer team to participate for “their own life and safety”.Iran are set to play their first World Cup game in less than two weeks, on June 16 against New Zealand at the SoFi stadium in California.
