Iranian World Cup Players Can Enter US the Day Before Matches: DHS

The World Cup begins on June 11 and FIFA chief Gianni Infantino told an audience in Los Angeles the tournament would be akin to staging ‘104 Super Bowls.’

FILE - Irans's players pose for a team photo before an Asian group A qualifying soccer match against North Korea for the 2026 World Cup, June 10, 2025, at Azadi Stadium in Tehran, Iran. AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, file

Iran’s national soccer team will ‌be allowed to enter the United States the day before each of their three World Cup group matches, the U.S. Department of ‌Homeland Security (DHS) said on June 9.

The Iranians play their first two matches—against ​New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21—in Los Angeles, and then travel to Seattle for a match with Egypt on June ​26.

Iran, currently training in Tijuana, Mexico, had originally hoped to set up a training camp in Arizona. That was in doubt when the United States launched Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28. Last month, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced they would be based in Tijuana.

“The United States doesn’t want the Iranian national team to stay overnight in the United States,” Sheinbaum told reporters on May 25.

The Iranian ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, was quoted in media reports over the weekend as saying that Iran’s team had been notified it would have to enter and leave the United States on the same day as their matches.

A DHS spokesperson denied Pasandideh’s claims.

“These statements are untrue,” the DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “Thanks to the generosity of President Trump the Iranian team will be able to arrive the day before their matches.”

After weeks of uncertainty, the United States granted visas ‌to all of the players on June 5, 10 days before their first match.

Iran’s football federation said several “key managerial and administrative members” of the squad had been refused visas. The Iranian Embassy in Mexico said that included the team manager, two team analysts, a media director, and a representative of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On April 23, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington had no objection to Iran taking part in the World Cup, adding that nobody with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) would be allowed entry into the United States.

“The problem with Iran would be, not their athletes, it would be some of the other people that would want to bring with them, some of whom have ties to the IRGC,” Rubio said. “We may not be able to let them in.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives to testify before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 2, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

In March, U.S. President Donald Trump said he did not believe it was appropriate for Iran’s ⁠team to stay in the United States “for their own life and safety.”

In a June 9 post on X, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the DHS’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis would be working with local, international, and federal law enforcement to secure the World Cup.

“Alongside our other DHS components, they will play a critical role in identifying and cracking down on criminal activity to deliver a safe World Cup,” Mullin said.

The first game of the World Cup takes place in Mexico—one of three co-hosts along with Canada and the United States—on June 11.

The United States plays its first game against Paraguay on June 13 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, after an opening ceremony—one of three, one for each host country—featuring musical performances by Katy Perry, Anitta, and Future.

Somalian Referee Refused Entry

A Somalian referee who was due to officiate at the World Cup has been refused entry into the United States.

Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who won the award of Africa’s referee of the year in 2025, was turned back by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) over the ⁠weekend.

Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who had been expected to officiate at matches during the World Cup but was denied entry to the United States, is welcomed as he arrives at the Aden Abdulle Osman International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, on June 10, 2026. Feisal Omar/Reuters

CBP said, without naming him, that a Somali national who arrived at Miami International Airport from Istanbul on Saturday was deemed inadmissible due to vetting concerns.

The agency did not elaborate but said ⁠the man ​underwent routine additional inspection before being denied entry. Last year, the Trump administration imposed a travel ban on citizens of 12 countries, including Somalia.

Before boarding a flight back to Somalia, Artan told Reuters that ​he was in good spirits despite being refused U.S. entry.

“I feel very good now. And I wanted to ⁠thank FIFA for supporting me all the way and the Somali people also. So I am very ​grateful for FIFA and CAF also. So this is what I have to say,” Artan said.

‘1o4 Super Bowls’

FIFA President Gianni Infantino likened the logistics of the World Cup to staging “104 Super Bowls” over a little ⁠more ​than a month, referring to the total number of matches ​across the three host countries.

There are 48 countries in the tournament, and they will play 104 matches, culminating in the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19.

The Epoch Times reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

Reuters contributed to this report.