Iran World Cup Players Get U.S. Visas
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- White House officials told Reuters on Friday that Iran's World Cup soccer players had been granted U.S. visas, hours after Ambassador Abolfazl Pasandideh said the squad still had not received them late Thursday.
- Fars news agency reported Friday that the U.S. had not yet issued visas to some of Iran's technical and administrative staff, with the embassy "refusing to issue" them without citing a source.
- Tehran shifted the team's base from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico at the last minute over visa concerns and a desire to minimize the squad's U.S. footprint; the team is scheduled to land in Tijuana early Sunday.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers Tuesday the U.S. would bar World Cup delegation members linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards; federation president Mehdi Taj, a former IRGC commander, was denied entry for December's tournament draw in Washington.
- Iran opens Group G play June 15 against New Zealand in Los Angeles, followed by matches against Belgium in LA and Egypt in Seattle.
- FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed Iran's tournament participation in April after Iranian Football Federation president Mehdi Taj was turned away at the Canadian border for a Vancouver FIFA congress.
Why it matters: A last-minute visa clearance spares a major geopolitical embarrassment for FIFA and the U.S. as tournament host, with Iran's first match 10 days out in Los Angeles. But the unresolved staff visas and Rubio's hardline on IRGC-linked personnel keep the World Cup a live diplomatic flashpoint between the two countries.
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