The Iranian men’s soccer team arrived in Mexico on Sunday, with the FIFA World Cup just four days away.
The Iranian squad posted to Instagram photos of the team, dressed in matching white shirts and blue blazers, boarding a plane in Antalya, Turkey, on Saturday. The team has been training in Turkey ahead of the World Cup, which the U.S., Canada, and Mexico are hosting.
On Sunday afternoon, the team posted photos of players deplaning in Tijuana, Mexico. The caption to the collage states, “hi Mexico.” Iran was slated to train in Arizona before pivoting due to visa concerns; in May, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum offered to host the team.
Iran, part of Group G, will face off against New Zealand in its first group-stage match in Inglewood, Calif., on June 15. The team will then play Belgium in Inglewood on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
Iran’s participation in the World Cup was uncertain in the wake of the U.S. and Israel launching strikes against the country in late February. Shortly after the war began, President Trump said that it was not “appropriate” for the Iranian team to compete due to safety concerns.
But the Iranian team pushed back against Trump’s remarks in March, pointing out that FIFA is the event’s organizer, not the U.S.
In April, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Iranian players are welcome in the U.S., but the country may not welcome other individuals in the traveling party. He specifically referenced members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Iranian military, as among those who will not be able to enter the country.
The New York Times reported on Friday that while the Iranian players received visas to enter the U.S. for the World Cup, the federal government denied the applications of more than a dozen members of the team’s support staff. That could include coaches, trainers, analysts and medical personnel.
The Times also reported that the U.S. denied the visa application of Mehdi Taj, a former commander in the IRGC who is the president of the Iranian soccer federation.
