Iran says staff blocked from entering US after players given World Cup visas

Iran has accused the US of denying visas to "integral" members of its national football team's backroom staff, hours after Washington confirmed Iranian players had been given permission to travel to the upcoming World Cup.

US officials said visas had been issued to all players and "necessary support staff" on Friday, 10 days before Iran's opening fixture in Los Angeles on 15 June.

They also said Iran would not be allowed to "abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretences".

Iran's embassy in Turkey accused the US of "politically biased interference in sport" by denying visas to a "large portion of the managerial and executive staff" and "technical advisers".

Iranian state-linked media said 15 administration officials, including the head of the football federation, his deputy, and a media director were among those who were denied entry to the US.

The team set off from their training base in Turkey on Saturday en route to Mexico, where they will be based for the tournament, and are expected to land in the early hours of Sunday after a 20-hour flight.

Under the conditions of their visas, the squad will have to enter and leave the US on the same day as their matches, Iran's ambassador to Mexico said on Saturday.

A statement described the US announcement as a "whitewash", adding: "You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran's national football team to its highest level."

Iranian embassy officials called on Fifa, football's world governing body, to intervene.

The 2026 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, begins on 11 June, with Iran securing their place by finishing top of their qualification group in March 2025, almost a year before war broke out.

It will be the first iteration of the competition to see a host nation receive the team of a country it is at war with.

In late May, Iran moved its training base to Mexico from Tucson, Arizona.

The US Department of Homeland Security did not say whether any restrictions would apply to members of the Iranian national team and official delegation while in the US during the tournament, but told the BBC in a statement that DHS is "steadfast in our commitment to the safety and security of the American people and attendees of the 2026 FIFA World Cup".

The agency also said they are "intricately involved in the whole of government approach securing the 11 host city sites across the nation, including Los Angeles".

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers Iran's football delegation would not be allowed to include individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards - a powerful branch of the Iranian armed forces.

Several players in the Iranian squad have completed mandatory military service with the group.

Iran are also due to play Belgium in California and Egypt in Seattle in their other two group games.

Additional reporting from Bernd Debusmann Jr.