Iran have been given additional travel flexibility ahead of their crucial final group-stage match at the 2026 World Cup, with the United States Department of Homeland Security confirming that the team will be permitted to enter the country two days before their clash against Egypt in Seattle on June 26. This marks an improvement on the 24-hour window Iran had been restricted to for their first two group-stage matches, which required the squad to enter the US the day before each game and depart on the same day it was played.
Despite the concession, Iran will still be required to leave the United States on the day of the match and return to their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico. “The overall security measures and protocol are the same. We remain committed to providing the safest tournament possible for players, staff and fans alike,” the Department of Homeland Security said in an official statement.
The adjustment comes following significant pressure from the Iranian Football Federation, which had announced plans to lodge an official complaint with FIFA over what it described as unfair treatment. Iran’s head coach Amir Ghalenoei had been vocal in his criticism of the travel restrictions, calling his side the “most oppressed” team at the tournament. He claimed his squad had been “robbed” of preparation time and given “less than half” the training window it needed, while other competing nations enjoyed standard conditions.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House’s World Cup task force, had previously acknowledged that while tighter restrictions for Iran’s first two matches in Los Angeles were reasonable given the short flight from Tijuana, the approximately three-hour journey to Seattle warranted a review. Ghalenoei had consistently argued that Iran should be allowed to arrive in each host city two days before a match and return to base the day after, in order to achieve what he described as “optimal technical and physical preparation.”
Iran currently sit second in Group G, level on two points with third-placed Belgium, heading into their final group game. Ghalenoei had stated at a pre-match press conference that the team had faced “many challenges off the pitch” and that the restrictions were inconsistent with football’s values, adding: “We are here for football, not politics.” The Iranian Football Federation echoed these sentiments, telling the BBC that such restrictions were “inconsistent with the principle of providing equal conditions for all participating teams.”
Image credit: BBC Sport / BBC Sport
