Published: 10:37 AM, 25 June 2026
US relaxes travel restrictions on Iran's World Cup team ahead of Seattle match
The United States has eased travel restrictions on Iran's World Cup squad, allowing the team to enter the country two days before its next match, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday.
However, the team will still be required to leave the United States after Friday's match in Seattle, according to a department spokesperson.
A spokesperson for the Iran Football Federation confirmed that the team will depart its base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, on Wednesday and travel to Seattle.
"This was planned on our end," Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, told The Associated Press. "We were going to look at how the first two movements went, and if they went smoothly, we would extend the extra day in light of the longer travel time."
The policy change was first reported by NBC News and comes as officials from Washington and Tehran continue negotiations aimed at ending the war in Iran.
Iran's national team has repeatedly voiced concerns over the travel restrictions imposed during the tournament and the challenges it has faced since the conflict began.
Iran had initially sought to move its group-stage matches to Mexico, with which it maintains diplomatic relations. The team's base camp was later shifted from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana. Several team officials and support staff members have also been barred from entering the United States with the squad.
For its first two matches in Los Angeles, the team was only allowed to travel to the venue one day before kickoff. Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said the arrangement placed his side at a disadvantage.
The team had less than 24 hours in Los Angeles before Sunday's noon match against Belgium ended in a 0-0 draw.
"Right now we need recovery more than anything," Ghalenoei said through a translator after the match. "The conditions have been extremely hard for us."
While teams commonly travel one day before matches, FIFA regulations state that teams should travel from their base camps to match venues one day before a game and, in exceptional cases, two days before.
Iran had requested additional time to adjust to host cities and recover between matches, particularly ahead of the 1,200-mile (1,930-kilometre) trip to Seattle. The team has scheduled a training session at the University of Washington on Thursday.
"We don't ask for much. We just ask for the same procedure as for all the other 47 teams," Iran midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh said on Sunday.
"Hopefully we can bring everyone who is involved and help us with us."
The Iranian team has also reported difficulties entering and leaving the United States during its trips between Tijuana and Los Angeles.
According to team captain Mehdi Taremi, the normally short 127-mile (204-kilometre) flight took five hours on the day before Iran's opening match against New Zealand.
Hours before Sunday's match against Belgium, U.S. Homeland Security official Markwayne Mullin told Fox News that Iranian authorities had "tried to get somebody in yesterday" who had direct links to Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
In response, the Iran Football Federation strongly rejected the allegation, describing it as "an outright and undeniable lie."
It remains unclear whether Iran's next opponent, Egypt, will also be allowed to arrive in Seattle two days before the match.
After defeating New Zealand 3-1 in Vancouver on Sunday, Egypt requested permission to fly directly to Seattle. FIFA denied the request, citing a lack of security resources to accommodate the late change.
The Egyptian team instead returned to its base camp in Spokane, Washington, located about a 45-minute flight from Seattle.
Egypt's national team did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
>> AP
