The Iranian national men’s football team will be allowed to stay overnight in the United States during the 2026 FIFA World Cup held in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Observers say that the memorandum of understanding reached between the US and Iran may have played a role in facilitating this.
According to the match schedule, all three of Iran’s group stage matches will take place in the United States. On the 15th and 21st local time, they will face New Zealand and Belgium respectively in Los Angeles, and on the 26th, they will play against Egypt in Seattle.
Due to the ongoing conflict involving Iran and the resulting visa delays, changes in accommodation, border crossings, and other complications, there has been widespread attention on how the Iranian men’s football team would participate in this World Cup.
Previous information indicated that the Iranian team could only travel to the United States on match days and would have to return immediately to their base in Tijuana, Mexico after each match. This time, the Iranian Football Federation has confirmed that under appropriate circumstances, the Iranian national team can stay overnight in the US.
At the pre-match press conference, Iranian forward Taremi revealed that after leaving their base, the team spent five hours before finally catching a flight to the United States.