Iran's World Cup squad left Turkey for Mexico on Saturday, taking off under the shadow of a bitter diplomatic row between Tehran and Washington after the US refused to issue visas for some of the team's support staff.The dispute erupted just days before Thursday's kickoff of the 2026 World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington had “no problem” with the Iranian team entering the country but wouldn’t let officials or staff members with ties to the…

Squad's visas for the US haven't been issued, with Marco Rubio saying IRGC-linked members won't be allowed to 'embed'.