The Schedule Is The Story
The Iranian national squad left Antalya on Saturday afternoon, boarding a private jet at the Mediterranean city's airport for a direct flight to Mexico. They wore blue blazers over white T-shirts as they departed the luxury Mardan Palace hotel.
Fourteen members of the delegation—including secretary-general Hedayat Mombeini and vice president Mehdi Mohammad Nabi—still lack U.S. visas, according to Iranian state television. It remains unclear whether federation president Mehdi Taj has received one.
The list looks clean on paper; the hard part is everything that happens after it is printed.
The team will play its first two matches in Inglewood, California: against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium six days later, before heading to Seattle to face Egypt on June 26. A potential meeting with the United States in the round of 32 would occur July 3 in Arlington, Texas.
The Field Gets Wider
The visa complications forced Iran to shift its training base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico—a border city now serving as the team's preparation hub. The Iranian Football Federation has accused the U.S. of "vindictive behavior" in denying visas to key administrative staff, claiming it effectively denies the team a level playing field. The federation plans to pursue the matter through FIFA.
All players have received visas from the Mexican Embassy in Ankara.
One dry observation fits here: the team will train in Mexico while playing matches in American stadiums, a scheduling irony that mirrors the broader political friction surrounding their participation. A separate but related tension lives in the numbers—fourteen officials grounded without travel documents while the squad flies south.
The Tournament Takes Shape
President Donald Trump discouraged Iran's involvement in March, expressing concern over player safety. The national team responded that no one could exclude them. Iran finalized its roster Monday, including 17 home-based players whose clubs have been inactive since February.