June 6, 2026 | 10:05 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Members of Iran's World Cup football team were granted US visas, clearing the way for them to enter the US, several US officials were cited as sayingThe team's participation in the World Cup games on US soil was complicated by the Iran war, launched by the US and Israel in late February. A few weeks after the war began, US President Donald Trump said he didn't think it was "appropriate" for the Iranian team to participate.Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey, said it was the Ankara embassy staff who processed the Iranian team's visas."Sports transcends borders, and we look forward to welcoming competitors and fans from around the world," he wrote on X.US officials, speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the visas publicly, said all players on the Iranian team, along with players, coaches, trainers and some support staff, were in the process of receiving visas.The Iranian team members are currently at their training base in Tijuana, Mexico on the border with California, and will play their first two matches against New Zealand and Belgium in Inglewood near Los Angeles this month. Later in June, Iran will head up the west coast to Seattle for a match against Egypt. Read: 2026 FIFA World Cup Schedule: Important Dates and Match StagesClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
