According to the BBC on June 14, of the 15 Iranian officials whose visa applications were denied, 10 re-applied after arriving in Mexico for training, but only four—including two staff members from the Iranian Football Association's international department and one performance analyst—received approval.
Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian Football Association, and the remaining six who re-applied were all denied visas, while one media officer did not reapply.
Despite being in a state of conflict with Iran, the U.S. has allowed the entry of the Iranian players for the World Cup but has faced criticism for denying visas to key officials necessary for team operations.
Iran, placed in Group G, is set to face New Zealand on June 16, Belgium on June 22 in Los Angeles, and Egypt on June 27 in Seattle for the group stage finale.
Initially, Iran planned to set up its base camp in Tucson, Arizona, but due to the ongoing conflict, the team has been training in Tijuana, Mexico, near California.
Under strict U.S. travel restrictions, the Iranian team will only be allowed to enter the U.S. for matches and must return to Tijuana immediately after each game, repeating this process for subsequent matches.
Additionally, the U.S. has denied entry to Somali referee Omar Artan, citing suspicions of ties to a terrorist organization.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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