Plane carrying Iran team lands in Mexico; uncertainty grows over US entry permits

A plane carrying Iran’s World Cup football squad landed early Sunday in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, as observed by AFP journalists, after the United States launched a diplomatic dispute over visas.

An AFP photographer saw the aircraft, which departed Turkey with a stop in Spain, touch down at about 5:00 am (1200 GMT) local time in Tijuana. The Iranian team will be based there during the tournament co‑hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada.

Uncertainty over US entry permits for Iran World Cup squad

Uncertainty remains over U.S. entry permits for Iranian players just days before the World Cup starts, with several Iranian organisations condemning the “unfair” treatment.

Iran will play all three of its group‑stage matches in the United States: New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles, followed by Egypt in Seattle.

Although the team has secured visas, the Iranian ambassador to Mexico stated at a press conference on Saturday in Tijuana that the squad will have to enter and leave the U.S. on “the same day” as their matches.

A spokesperson for the Iranian football federation had previously said that the players would arrive in the U.S. one day before their first match and two days before the subsequent games.

On Sunday, Iran’s football chief Mehdi Taj—along with about 15 staff members denied U.S. visas, according to Iranian media—criticised the United States’ “unfair” treatment of the team in a video shared by state news agency IRNA.

“Where in the world is a national team only allowed to enter the host country one day before its matches?” he said, describing the arrangement as “a form of malice, favouritism, unpreparedness and inequality.”

The United States and FIFA have not commented on the matter.

The Iranian squad moved its training camp from Arizona to Tijuana after visa concerns arose amid the conflict between Iran, the U.S. and Israel. The players eventually obtained visas, unlike some of the staff.

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