{"id":3239,"date":"2026-06-14T17:00:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T17:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racingsport.xyz\/?p=3239"},"modified":"2026-06-14T17:00:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T17:00:50","slug":"world-cup-2026-iran-win-four-visa-appeals-but-11-staff-still-banned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racingsport.xyz\/?p=3239","title":{"rendered":"World Cup 2026: Iran win four visa appeals but 11 staff still banned"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Four members of Iran’s World Cup delegation have won appeals against having their visa applications for entry to the United States rejected.<\/b><\/p>\n

But 11 members of the party will not be allowed to travel to the US when their team plays matches there.<\/p>\n

Iran last week accused the US of denying visas to “integral” members of its national football team’s backroom staff<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That was after officials in Washington said Iranian players had been given permission to travel to the country for the tournament.<\/p>\n

Iran have already moved their World Cup base to Mexico<\/a> over concerns stemming from the country being at war with the United States.<\/p>\n

Of the 15 Iranian delegation members initially denied US visas, 10 submitted fresh applications after arriving in Mexico.<\/p>\n

Four of those appeals were successful, it has been revealed. Those granted visas include a member of the team’s technical staff working as an analyst and two officials from the federation’s international department.<\/p>\n

The remaining six applicants were rejected again. They include Iran Football Federation (FFIRI) president Mehdi Taj, one of the federation’s vice-presidents, two team administrators responsible for day-to-day operations, a media officer and a security officer.<\/p>\n

A second media officer chose not to reapply for a visa after the initial rejection.<\/p>\n

Iran play New Zealand on 15 June in Los Angeles in their first game of the tournament, which is being co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.<\/p>\n

They will return to the city to face Belgium on 21 June, before meeting Egypt in Seattle on 26 June.<\/p>\n

The country’s World Cup group-stage ticket allocation for supporters was revoked by US officials earlier this week, though Fifa has insisted it is working to “maximise opportunities for Iranian supporters to attend matches”.<\/a><\/p>\n

The FFIRI had previously presented Fifa with a list of 10 conditions for their participation in the World Cup, including allowing players, coaches and officials who have completed military service with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).<\/p>\n

US secretary of state Marco Rubio had said Iran’s players will be welcome at the tournament but individuals with links to the IRGC could face entry restrictions.<\/p>\n

Iran was not represented at a meeting of Fifa’s annual congress in Vancouver in April after officials were turned away at the Canadian border, with Canadian officials citing the IRGC links of delegation members.<\/p>\n

Fifa does not place a limit on how many people are in a nation’s World Cup delegation, though it will only cover costs of up to 50 individuals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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