DHS says – The Department of Homeland Security rejected claims that Iran’s World Cup team would be forced to enter and leave the U.S. on match days, saying the team can arrive the day before each of its three games. The dispute comes amid last-minute visa approvals and c
On the morning of another travel scramble, the Department of Homeland Security moved to calm a logistical dispute that had already become political—insisting Iran’s national soccer team would be able to enter the United States one day before each of its three World Cup matches.
Iran’s team is currently training in Tijuana, Mexico. DHS said the players will be allowed to come into the U.S. the day before they play, so their nights won’t be tethered to the same-day rhythm of the final whistle.
The clarification was aimed at questions that surfaced after media reports over the weekend quoted Iran’s ambassador to Mexico. Abolfazl Pasandideh. as saying the team would have to enter and leave the U.S. on the same day as they were playing. That prospect raised immediate concerns about logistics and whether it could affect performance.
But it was not the case, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement. “These statements are untrue,” the spokesperson said. “Thanks to the generosity of President Trump, the Iranian team will be able to arrive the day before their matches.”
The statement landed against a backdrop of visa uncertainty that had stretched for weeks. Members of the Iranian World Cup team are arriving at Tijuana International Airport on June 7, 2026, in Tijuana. That timing matters because the team’s match schedule is fixed—and now, DHS says the immigration plan is too.
The ambassador, speaking to Reuters in Tijuana on Monday through an interpreter, criticized U.S. officials for denying visas to some of the Iranian football federation staff. He also said that the people who had been granted visas did not face restrictions that would prevent them from staying overnight.
“Their visas don’t specify anything about them having to leave at a certain time,” he said.
Even as DHS addressed the players’ ability to stay overnight, the visa picture remained uneven for the broader delegation. After weeks of uncertainty, the U.S. awarded visas to all the players on Friday—just 10 days before their first match. Still. several members of the Iranian squad were not given visas. including “key managerial and administrative members. ” according to Iran’s football federation. Iran’s embassy in Mexico said those denied included the team manager. two team analysts. the media director. and a representative of the Foreign Ministry.
Iran’s World Cup matches are set for three different U.S. cities and dates: New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15. Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21. and Egypt in Seattle on June 26. The team had originally been slated to train in Arizona, but that plan was changed after the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran in February.
The dispute also circles back to President Donald Trump’s earlier comments. In March, Trump said Iran was welcome to participate in the World Cup but that he did not believe it was appropriate for Iran’s team to stay in the U.S. “for their own life and safety.”
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