'Are you telling us not to set foot on American soil?' Iran's national soccer team cut off from communication, unable to secure U.S. visa... "Only one week left until the World Cup"

*This content was translated by AI.

The Iran national soccer team is facing difficulties in participating in the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup. While they have obtained a visa to stay in Mexico for their base camp, they have not yet received the visa required to enter the United States, where the matches will be held.

The Iranian team originally planned to set up its base camp in Tucson, Arizona. However, relations between the United States and Israel deteriorated sharply following a large-scale airstrike in February, plunging the two nations into a state of war. Consequently, Iran quickly changed its base camp location from the awkward United States to Tijuana, Mexico, a border region.

Mohammad Hassan Habibi-ol-Zadeh, Iran's ambassador to Turkey, announced on the 4th (Korean time) via Iranian state television that the Mexican visa was issued swiftly within 48 hours.

However, with less than two weeks remaining until the first match, the issuance of a U.S. visa remains uncertain. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last June banning Iranian nationals from entering the United States, and with the two countries currently at war, the U.S. side is taking a non-cooperative stance on visa issuance.

In addition, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has taken a hardline stance, stating that he will absolutely not allow individuals unrelated to sports, such as members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), to set foot on American soil while infiltrating the national team. In particular, Mehdi Taremi and Ehsan Hajsafi, key figures in the Iranian team, have a history of mandatory service in the IRGC, making the outcome of their visa applications even more uncertain.

Iran, placed in Group G of the group stage, will face New Zealand on the 16th, Belgium on the 22nd, and Egypt on the 27th in order. The first and second matches are scheduled to be held in Inglewood, California, while the third match will take place in Seattle. The Iranian team plans to play a final friendly match against Mali in Antalya, Turkey, on the 5th, before moving to Mexico.

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*This content was translated by AI.