White House in talks over Iran travel restrictions for World Cup

The White House is considering changes to the strict travel restrictions imposed on Iran's national football team for the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Under current visa conditions, Iranian players are permitted to fly into the U.S. only a day before their matches and must leave the country on the same day as the game.

Team's complaints and coach's remarks

Head coach Amir Ghalenoei described his team as the "most oppressed" at the tournament following a 2-2 draw with New Zealand in Los Angeles in their opening match. The restrictions have drawn criticism from the Iranian Football Federation, which argues that they hinder proper preparation.

White House task force discussions

Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House's World Cup task force, confirmed that "discussions are going on" regarding the travel schedule for Iran's third group match against Egypt on June 27 in Seattle. The Iranian team is based in Mexico for the tournament. Giuliani noted that the restricted travel was reasonable for the first two matches in Los Angeles, a 30-minute flight from their base, but acknowledged that the Seattle flight would be up to three hours, prompting the need for adjustments.

"I know that the president wants to be able to really balance the competitive balance on the field while making sure we're not compromising our national security," Giuliani told KOMO TV News in Seattle. "We want to make sure the Iranian team has the opportunity to come in and compete. What we have done for the Iranian team has been spectacular and credit to President Trump on this. He ended up signing an executive order to allow the team to come in and play the World Cup. They came in already to play in LA and they will again on the 21st."

Giuliani did not specify whether Iran was included in the discussions, and he did not respond to the BBC's request for comment.

Iran's official complaint

Iran's national team has formally expressed dissatisfaction, stating that they should be allowed to arrive in each host city two days before every match and return to their base camp the day after the game "in order to achieve optimal technical and physical preparation." The Iranian Football Federation told the BBC: "The Football Federation of Iran believes that such restrictions are inconsistent with the principle of providing equal conditions for all participating teams and may negatively affect teams' preparation processes. Consequently, the federation will formally express its dissatisfaction and lodge an official complaint with Fifa through the appropriate channels."

Iran's next match is against Belgium in Inglewood, Los Angeles on Sunday at 20:00 BST.