Irans World Cup Squad Departs for Mexico on June 6 Despite Visa Delay

Iran National Football Team to Depart for World Cup Despite Visa Uncertainty

The Iran national football team will depart for Mexico on Saturday, June 6, despite ongoing ambiguity over their visas for the United States. According to the team’s official social media account, they will travel to Mexico via Spain and arrive in Tijuana at 1:30 am (0730 GMT) on Sunday, June 7.

The squad has been training in Turkiye since last month and will play a final warm-up game against Mali on Thursday. The match will be held behind closed doors due to the importance of the friendly match and tactical objectives of the head coach.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that his country would not allow Iranians with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to “embed” themselves in the World Cup delegation. Rubio made this statement during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tuesday, where he testified about the US’s stance on the issue.

In April, an Iranian football federation delegation turned back at Toronto’s main airport due to treatment by Canadian immigration officials. The delegation members, including Mehdi Taj, cited “unacceptable behaviour” and were denied entry due to alleged ties with the IRGC.

The World Cup, jointly hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada, will run from June 11 to July 19. Iran has been drawn in Group G and will play New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and 21, followed by a game against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

Iran’s football federation chief Mehdi Taj had previously stated that the players were expected to receive their visas for Mexico either on Tuesday or Wednesday, with a US visa to follow quickly. However, the status of their visas remains unclear.

Source: Al Jazeera