Iran World Cup players granted visas to enter the US, says White House official

June 5 (Reuters) - Iran's World Cup ‌soccer players have been granted visas to enter the United States, a White House official told Reuters on Friday, just 10 days before their first match in Los Angeles amid a conflict between the two countries.

Iran's ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, said late on Thursday the squad had still not received their U.S. visas but these were granted overnight, the White House official said.

Iran World Cup players granted visas to enter the US, says White House official | Reuters

Iran sets travel date to Mexico for World Cup despite visa delays

Iran has said it will travel to Mexico on Saturday, June 6 ahead of the 2026 World Cup, despite a delay in receiving visas for Mexico or the United States.

Team Melli's status for the World Cup has been in doubt since the U.S. and Israel launched an armed conflict against the nation in late February, with the countries currently in an unsteady ceasefire.

Iran announced in late May that it would shift its World Cup base camp from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico. The reason for the late change is not fully known.

Ahead of its departure to North America, Iran has been training in Antalya, Turkey, where it will play its final pre-tournament friendly on Thursday, June 4 against Mali.

“The Iran national football team will depart Antalya for Tijuana at 15:20 (1220 GMT) on Saturday, June 6, and is scheduled to arrive in Mexico at 1:30 am (0730 GMT) on Sunday, June 7,” Iran's official social media account said.Though it is scheduled to travel to North America this weekend, Iran still has not received its requisite visas. According to Iran football federation chief Mehdi Taj, that issue should be resolved soon."We will obtain a Mexican visa Tuesday (June 2) or the day after, and then a U.S. visa will be issued quickly," Taj said in an interview on Iranian TV.

Marco Rubio warns Iran over IRGC presence

On Tuesday, June 2, U.S. Secretary of State Marco ⁠Rubio ⁠told lawmakers that he would be diligent about who the U.S. allows into the country.

During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Rubio warned about members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) trying to "embed" with the Iran national team.

“What we’re not going to allow is for ⁠them to embed in their delegation a bunch of ⁠people that we know ⁠have nothing to do with athletics and have ties to the IRGC or things of that ‌nature, so we were going to watch that very closely,” Rubio said ‌at the hearing.

The U.S. government designates the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization, but military service is mandatory in Iran and some players on the national team, including captain Mehdi Taremi have served in branch.

WITH the World Cup almost here, FIFA officials have warned fans about all the items banned from stadiums.

All prohibited items will be confiscated, but some could lead to you getting detained if you try to bring them in.

The full list of prohibited items includes:

• weapons of any kind, including for self-defence, such as tasers or pepper sprays
• explosives or detonators
• objects that could be used as a weapon including beach umbrellas, motorcycle helmets or hard hats
• work tools of any kind
• body-protection gear, including bullet-proof vests
• helmets or any items that can conceal a person’s identity, except for religious headwear, medical masks and face shields
• any items that can produce smoke, heat or flames such as lighters, fireworks and flares
• toxic, radioactive or corrosive materials
• highly flammable or corrosive items including spray paints and permanent marker pens
• aerosol cylinders, flasks or thermoses of any kind
• any closed or capped item that may be thrown (i.e. bottles or cans) and any objects made of glass
• sports equipment (excluding clothing) such as inflatable balls and frisbees
• other inflated or inflatable items, such as balloons
• strollers, bicycles, rollerblades, skateboards and scooters
• any large items which cannot be stored under a stadium seat, such as folding chairs and boxes
• any large bags, backpacks or non-transparent bags
• significant quantities of paper or rolls of paper
• any quantities of powdery materials (some small makeup items, such as powder, will be permitted)
• any animals, except service animals
• any liquids containing alcohol, except hand sanitizer
• any liquids bigger than 100ml not bought in the stadium, except baby milk or liquid for medical purposes
• any food items not bought in the stadium, unless they are medically required or for babies/young children
• drugs, narcotics or stimulants of any kind, unless they are medically required
• any vapes, electronic smoking products or tobacco products
• radio-electronic or high frequency devices
• any musical instruments bigger than 12cm x 12cm x 12cm
• electronic, mechanical or manual devices that produce excessively loud sounds, such as vuvuzelas, whistles or air horns
• instruments that emit laser beams
• any type of television or professional equipment capable of recording sound or audio, including professional video cameras
• more than one set of extra batteries or rechargeable units
• any mounts for photo and video equipment, such as tripods or selfie sticks
• drones, unmanned aircraft systems and remote controlled aircrafts
• large binoculars, except for partially sighted ticket holders

WHAT A START!

Havertz races through and smashes one into the roof of the net 💥

🔵 0-1 🔴 (6) pic.twitter.com/TaiRbrDgxD

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 30, 2026

🇫🇷🚨 DEMBELE SCORES THE PENALTY!!!

1-1!!! pic.twitter.com/EGDxer73ge

— Rising Stars XI (@RisingStarXI) May 30, 2026

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