In one of the most extraordinary arrangements in FIFA World Cup history, Iran’s players have reportedly been instructed to enter and exit the United States on the day of their matches, with no overnight stays allowed on American soil.Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, confirmed the restriction on Saturday, stating, “We can enter in the morning and we must leave the same day.”Members of Iran’s squad for the World Cup granted visas on Friday. However, some of the team’s support staff, which also include football federation chief Mehdi Taj, were not issued visas, igniting another diplomatic row between the two warring nations.The players departed their hotel in Antalya on Saturday and flew via Spain to Tijuana, where they will be based for the tournament. Staff members denied US visas are travelling with the squad while authorities continue efforts to secure their clearance.Iran’s players are based in Tijuana, directly across the border from San Diego, because months of visa delays and the ongoing conflict between Washington and Tehran made an American training camp impossible. Iran had earlier demanded multiple-entry US visas for the squad, given that the team, as federation president Mehdi Taj put it, “would have to leave and re-enter the US many times.”Iran, placed in Group G, face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and 21 respectively, before a final group game against Egypt in Seattle on June 26, all three now requiring same-day round trips from their Tijuana base.Despite the chaos, Team Melli head into the tournament in decent form. They beat Mali 2-0 in their final warm-up fixture, having earlier defeated Gambia 3-1. This is set to be the first World Cup to see a host nation receive the team of a country it is at war with.
