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Iran's national football team, who are currently training in Tijuana, Mexico, will be permitted to arrive in the United States the day before their matches, the Department of Homeland Security said.
The clarification comes after media reports over the weekend quoted Iran's ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, as saying that the team would be required to enter and exit the United States on the same day of their matches, raising concerns over travel logistics and possible impact on performance, according to Reuters. Officials have now confirmed that the squad will be allowed to arrive a day prior to each fixture, easing earlier uncertainty surrounding their match-day movement arrangements. "These statements are untrue. "Thanks to the generosity of President (Donald) Trump the Iranian team will be able to arrive the day before their matches," the spokesperson said in a statement. "Their visas don't specify anything about them having to leave at a certain time," he said. The FIFA World Cup is set to begin on June 12 (Friday) as per Indian Standard Time (IST), with Iran scheduled to face New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 16, Belgium on June 22, and Egypt in Seattle on June 27. Meanwhile, the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFRI) on Tuesday stated that its share of FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets was withdrawn shortly before the tournament, leaving supporters who had already booked trips without access to their team's matches, reported Reuters. According to the Iranian football federation, it had already begun selling tickets allocated to it for World Cup fixtures, but the distribution was later revoked. The federation said that as a result, several Iranian fans who had relied on the official ticketing process and completed travel bookings are now unable to attend the matches. "Depriving Iranian supporters of access to their lawful and official allocation of tickets is an action contrary to the spirit governing international competitions and the principle of equality among participating countries," the FFIRI said in a statement as per Reuters. "This development raises serious questions about the interference of non-sporting and political considerations in the organisation of the world's biggest football event," they said further. "This is despite the fact that many Iranian football fans, relying on the officially announced process, had already made the necessary plans to attend the matches," the statement further said. (ANI)
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