Playing and then leaving… American clarifications regarding the Iranian national team | sports

American officials confirmed on Tuesday that the Iranian national team will have to leave the United States within hours of the final whistle for its group stage matches in the 2026 World Cup.

The clarification came from the co-host country of the World Cup following criticism of its handling of visa procedures and the Iranian team’s stay in the United States, following the Asian team’s first match against New Zealand.

Iran tied with New Zealand in a tense Group G match in Los Angeles on Monday, after months of uncertainty regarding the team’s participation in the World Cup in light of the US-Israeli war against Iran.

The Iranian delegation left the United States a few hours after the end of the match, around eight o’clock in the evening local time (03:00 GMT), and returned to its training camp in Mexico, which sparked criticism of the way the United States dealt, as the team did not get a day of rest and recovery at the hotel.

“We have made clear that these are the procedures,” Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House World Cup Task Force, told the Associated Press.

The Iranian national team’s coach, Amir Qala Nooyi, said after the match that his team had received orders to leave the United States and return to Mexico after only a few hours.

He pointed out that the team was planning to spend the night in California to ensure the best conditions for the usual recovery process after the matches.

Other criticisms

The United States also faced additional criticism after the entry visa of Iranian national team winger Mehdi Torabi expired after the first match.

Later, team officials confirmed that they had obtained a new visa for him that allows him multiple entry, allowing him to travel to the United States to participate in the next two confrontations.

Giuliani said, during an interview broadcast Monday evening on CBS News, that some of the supporting staff and Iranian team officials were banned from entering the United States, while all players and coaches obtained entry visas.

He also clarified the conditions that would allow the Iranian team to enter the United States to play its matches, saying: “The team will be allowed to enter one day before the match, that is, the day before it. They will be asked to leave on the day the match ends, that is, the evening of the match day itself.”

When asked about the reason for denying entry to some members of the supporting staff and team officials, Giuliani did not go into details, but referred to previous statements by Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding denying entry to people with direct ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

For his part, the captain of the Iranian national team, Mehdi Taremi, said that the team endured a 5-hour trip that included security measures, during what is usually a very short trip from Tijuana to the Los Angeles area.

Taremi said: “I think FIFA should provide us more assistance.”

Infantino in the dressing room

For his part, FIFA President Gianni Infantino went to the Iranian national team’s dressing room after the New Zealand match, which ended in a 2-2 draw in Group G, on Monday.

During a short speech, Infantino said that he is aware of the difficulties that the Iranian national team is going through during the World Cup, assuring the players, through a translator, that by what they have presented, they have proven to their friends and families that they are indeed participating in the World Cup.

Infantino stressed that Iranian players, during the next two matches against Belgium and then Egypt, will have to make everyone proud of them.

He ended his short speech with the phrase, “Thank you for being here.”