‘We are upset’: Iran players hit out at US visa delay after World Cup arrival in Mexico

Iran’s World Cup 2026 squad landed in Mexico on Sunday amid a bitter diplomatic row, after the United States refused to issue visas for some team support staff. The Iran coach, Amir Ghalenoei, complained on arrival at Tijuana airport that “we should have been here last week because a 12-hour time difference needs two weeks of adjusting. Usually in these tournaments, before technical matters, ethical and human considerations must be respected – which I think for us it was not the case.” After departing from their training camp in Turkey a day earlier, the Iran team landed around 5am (1pm BST) on Sunday in the Mexican border city of Tijuana. Ghalenoei’s side will be based in Tijuana throughout the tournament, despite playing all three of their group-stage games in the US. Iran’s players and coaching staff left their plane amid tight security which included a contingent of Mexican national guard troops. Just a handful of fans waving Iranian flags were present at the airport to welcome them from a distance. The dispute has erupted just days before Thursday’s kick-off of the 2026 World Cup , which is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. Ghalenoei thanked world football’s governing body, Fifa, for its efforts to help secure entry, but added: “We are upset about this behaviour. It has certainly never happened before.” A small group of fans gathered at Tijuana airport to cheer the team as they arrived. …