Iran’s World Cup journey was shaped at every turn by US immigration policy: 15 staff denied entry, a training camp in Tijuana, forced post-match departures across the border. The team responded with results on the field and grace off it.
The Note They Left Behind
Before leaving Los Angeles after their second group match, a 0-0 draw against Belgium that earned them a point toward the second round, Iran’s players left something behind in their hotel room: a handwritten note.
The Iranian Football Federation shared a photo of it. It read:
“From the ancient Persia of thousands of years ago to the civilized Iran of today, the spirit of Iran remains alive and steadfast. We came to Los Angeles with pride, competed with honor, and leave with dignity. Thank you, Los Angeles, for your hospitality. And thank you to every Iranian who gave their heart, voice and soul for Iran throughout these 180 minutes. May peace, respect, and friendship prevail among all nations.”
The note included a reference to a US airstrike on a school in the Iranian city of Minab during the ongoing US-Iran conflict, in which more than a hundred people died. The gesture was not political theater. It was a team that had been treated poorly, that had competed anyway, and that chose to say thank you on the way out.
Coach Amir Ghalenoei put it plainly after the Belgium draw: “We came into the World Cup under the worst possible conditions. And still, we got a result against a great team and a great manager. We played a beautiful game.”
What Those Conditions Actually Were
Iran’s players were cleared to compete. That much, in the end, was certain. But the path to their opening match in Los Angeles was anything but straightforward, and the people who would normally be standing beside them on the training ground were nowhere to be found.
Fifteen members of Iran’s backroom staff, including Executive Director Mehdi Kharati and Media Director Mohsen Motamedkia, were denied entry to the United States. The denials were not last-minute surprises in the way that delayed processing might be. They were refusals. The staff would not be coming.
The players were left to prepare for a World Cup without their technical advisers, without their managers, and without the infrastructure that surrounds an international squad at every other tournament they had ever attended.
Why the Denials Happened
Military service is mandatory for young men in Iran. Several players on the squad had completed their service under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the branch of Iran’s armed forces that the United States and Canada have designated as a terrorist organization.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated explicitly that no one with IRGC ties would bypass the vetting process, regardless of the context. The World Cup was not an exception.
For the players themselves, an 11th-hour decision came through. Visas were granted just ten days before their opening match. The relief was real but compressed. There was almost no time to prepare.
For the staff, there was no 11th hour. The denials stood.
Training in Tijuana — and Forced Out After Every Match
With their planned training camp in Arizona no longer possible, Iran’s team relocated entirely to Tijuana, Mexico. They crossed the border into the US for matches, then returned to prepare on the Mexican side.
After their first match, a 2-2 draw against New Zealand, the situation got worse. Iran’s coach Ghalenoei complained that the team had planned to stay overnight in California as part of their recovery process. Instead, they were forced by officials to return to Tijuana immediately after the final whistle. No recovery time. No overnight stay. Cross the border and go.
“I was really troubled,” Ghalenoei said, “after being told they must leave immediately.”
The players were public about what all of this cost them. Preparing for technically demanding opponents, without their technical advisers and without adequate recovery time, was a significant disadvantage. They said so openly. And then they went out and drew with Belgium anyway.
What This Illustrates About the Current Environment
Iran’s situation is extreme in its specifics but not unusual in its structure. Immigration decisions that affect one member of a traveling group but not another, that arrive at the last moment or not at all, that leave families and teams and organizations trying to function across a divide they did not choose: these are not rare stories right now. They are happening every day, at every level, to people with far less visibility than a World Cup squad.
The difference for Iran’s team is that the world was watching. The players had a microphone. Their frustration became a news story.
For most people in similar situations, there is no microphone. There is just the situation, and the need to figure out what to do next.
What to Know If You Are Traveling to World Cup Matches in the US
If you are attending games in the United States, especially if you are traveling from a country with complicated diplomatic relations with the US or if you have any prior military service in your background, there are steps worth taking before you travel.
Check your visa requirements early. Do not assume that a tournament exemption or a suspension of requirements applies automatically to your situation. Bureaucratic delays can leave that process incomplete even when the intent was to make travel easier.
Have documentation of your purpose of travel. A tournament ticket, hotel reservation, and return flight confirmation are basic but important. They establish that your visit is temporary and tied to a specific event.
If you are denied entry at a port of entry, you have limited rights to contest that decision in the moment. The doctrine of consular nonreviewability means that visa denials abroad are difficult to challenge legally. At the border, your options narrow further. The time to seek legal advice is before you travel, not at the checkpoint.
If something unexpected happens during your visit, contact an immigration attorney as quickly as possible. Early intervention matters.
Powers Law Group is based in Houston, one of the World Cup host cities, and represents individuals and families across Texas in immigration matters including emergency situations. Phone: 713-589-2085 | Email: [email protected]
Sources
- Associated Press, Iran World Cup Staff Denied US Visas, Team Forced to Train in Tijuana, June 2026.
- The Guardian, Iran’s World Cup Preparations Disrupted by US Visa Denials for Staff, June 2026. https://www.theguardian.com
- Reuters, IRGC Designation and World Cup Visa Complications for Iran, June 2026. https://www.reuters.com
- US Department of State, Statement by Secretary Rubio on IRGC-Affiliated Individuals and Visa Processing, 2026. https://www.state.gov
- American Immigration Council, Your Rights at the US Border, 2025. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org
- ACLU, The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup: Know Your Rights, Know Your Risks, June 15, 2026. https://www.aclu.org
- FIFA, 2026 FIFA World Cup Group H Schedule, 2026. https://www.fifa.com
- The New York Times, World Cup Immigration Issues: What International Travelers Need to Know, June 2026. https://www.nytimes.com
- Powers Law Group, Vozinha Shut Out Spain. His Mother Almost Missed It Because of US Immigration Policy., June 2026. https://www.rubypowerslaw.com
- Powers Law Group, A Federal Judge Just Banned ICE Arrests at Immigration Courts in New York, May 2026. https://www.rubypowerslaw.com
