Four Iranian World Cup Staff Granted US Visas, Eleven Still Denied
Four members of Iran's World Cup delegation have successfully appealed their visa rejections for entry into the United States, allowing them to travel for the tournament. However, eleven other staff members remain banned from entering the US. This development follows Iran's previous accusation that the US denied visas to "integral" backroom staff. The initial delegation of 15 members faced visa denials, with ten submitting new applications from Mexico after Iran moved its World Cup base there. Among the four successful appeals were a technical staff analyst and two officials from the federation's international department.
Four members of Iran's World Cup delegation have won appeals against the rejection of their visa applications for entry to the United States. Despite these approvals, eleven other staff members of the party will not be permitted to travel to the US for the upcoming matches.
The initial group facing visa denials comprised 15 Iranian delegation members. After relocating their World Cup base to Mexico, ten of these individuals submitted fresh applications. Four of these appeals were successful. Those granted visas include a technical staff analyst and two officials from the Iranian Football Federation's (FFIRI) international department.
The remaining six applicants were once again rejected. This group includes FFIRI president Mehdi Taj, a federation vice-president, two team administrators responsible for daily operations, a media officer, and a security officer. An additional media officer chose not to reapply for a visa following the initial rejection.
Iran had previously accused the US of denying visas to "integral" members of its national football team's backroom staff. This occurred after officials in Washington indicated that Iranian players had been given permission to travel. Iran had moved its World Cup base to Mexico, citing concerns stemming from the country being at war with the United States.
Iran's schedule includes matches against New Zealand on June 15 in Los Angeles, Belgium on June 21, also in Los Angeles, and Egypt in Seattle on June 26. The tournament is co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Further visa-related issues have affected the Iranian delegation, including the revocation of their World Cup group-stage ticket allocation for supporters by US officials. Fifa has stated it is working to "maximise opportunities for Iranian supporters to attend matches." The FFIRI had also presented Fifa with ten conditions for its World Cup participation, which included allowing individuals who had completed military service with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously stated that Iranian players would be welcome, but individuals with links to the IRGC could face entry restrictions. Iran was not present at Fifa's annual congress in Vancouver in April after officials were denied entry at the Canadian border, with Canadian officials citing IRGC links among delegation members.
The tournament has seen other visa complications, such as fans from some nations being barred and Somali referee Omar Artan being denied entry to the United States to officiate. Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter criticized the organization, emphasizing that a host country must guarantee "unrestricted entry of all qualified teams, officials and referees," citing the case of referee Artan as a breach of this obligation. According to Yahoo Sports Soccer, Fifa does not limit the size of a nation's World Cup delegation but covers costs for up to 50 individuals.
