World Cup 2026: Iran’s US entry terms changed for final group game

Iran’s football team is being given extra time in the United States to prepare for their final World Cup group game, the US Department of Homeland Security says.

Iran will be allowed to travel to Seattle two days before their final group-stage match against Egypt – giving them an extra day beyond the 24-hour window they’d been granted for their first two games.

But the team will still be required to return to its base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, after the match.

“For the Iranian team’s third match in Seattle on 26 June, the team has been permitted to come into the US two days before the match. The Iran team will still be required to leave the day the match ends,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.

“The overall security measures and protocol are the same. We remain committed to providing the safest tournament possible for players, staff and fans alike.”

This change comes after the Iranian Football Federation said it planned to lodge an official complaint with Fifa over what it described as unfair treatment in the United States.

So far, Iran’s squad has only been allowed to enter the United States the day before a match and leave again on the same day as the game, under the terms of their visas.

That prompted Iran’s head coach Amir Ghalenoei to describe his side as the “most oppressed” team at the tournament. He said the squad had been “robbed” of preparation time and given “less than half” the training window it needed, while other teams had enjoyed normal conditions.

Last week, Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House’s World Cup task force, said discussions were under way about changing the arrangements for Iran’s third group-stage match in Seattle against Egypt on Friday 26 June. (Sat 27 June 04:00 BST)

Iran is based in Mexico for the tournament, and Giuliani said it was reasonable for the team to operate under tighter travel restrictions for its first two matches in Los Angeles, given the short flight from Tijuana. But with the journey to Seattle taking up to three hours, he said officials were considering adjustments.

Ghalenoei has repeatedly argued that Iran should be allowed to arrive in each host city two days before a match and return to base the day after, “in order to achieve optimal technical and physical preparation”.

At a press conference before Iran’s second match, he said the team had faced “many challenges off the pitch” and that “this kind of behaviour is not suitable for the World Cup”. He also said the restrictions were inconsistent with football’s values, adding: “We are here for football, not politics.”

“The Football Federation of Iran believes that such restrictions are inconsistent with the principle of providing equal conditions for all participating teams and may negatively affect teams’ preparation processes,” the federation told the BBC.