The Iranian team has become one of the most unexpected protagonists of the 2026 World Cup. Not because of what happened on the pitch, but because of everything that is happening off it.
After debuting in the tournament with a two-goal draw against New Zealand in Los Angeles, the Iranian expedition did not remain in the United States. Just a few hours after the match, the team returned to Tijuana, a Mexican city located next to the US border, where it has set up its base camp during the championship.
The decision does not respond to sporting reasons. According to Tehran, it is related to the difficulties that part of the delegation continues to encounter in entering US territory.
“They, as hosts, have the responsibility of processing the visa for the entire team, the managers and the technical group,” said the Iranian ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, this Tuesday during a meeting with the media held in Tijuana.
Eleven members still do not receive visas
According to the diplomat, eleven members linked to the Iranian team have not yet obtained the necessary documentation to enter the United States, a situation that continues to be managed through FIFA and the corresponding diplomatic channels.
The issue is not minor.
The United States is one of the three organizing countries of this World Cup along with Mexico and Canada, and a large part of the matches are held on American soil. However, the political tensions accumulated for decades between Washington and Tehran have also ended up transferring to the tournament.
For this reason, Iran chose from the beginning to establish its base of operations in Tijuana, a city that allows it to travel punctually to the United States to play its matches and then return to Mexican territory.
Mexico, the unexpected refuge
Beyond criticism of Washington, the Iranian ambassador wanted to highlight the treatment received by the Mexican authorities and the inhabitants of the border city.
“On the part that depended on Mexico, everything went wonderfully, everything was perfect,” he said.
As he explained, both the players and the members of the expedition have shown their satisfaction with the reception received during these weeks.
In fact, Pasandideh revealed that the Iranian community residing in the area has even raised the possibility of organizing an act of gratitude to the city of Tijuana for the reception given to the team.
The image is striking: one of the teams participating in the World Cup living in a country different from the one that hosts many of its matches for bureaucratic and diplomatic reasons.
Football in the middle of politics
The ambassador’s statements also come at a particularly delicate moment in relations between both countries.
The United States and Iran have just reached an agreement to end months of tension and conflict in the Middle East, a process that still generates caution on both sides.
Pasandideh acknowledged that a new stage is opening in bilateral relations, but recalled that Iran maintains a prudent stance after decades marked by political, economic and military confrontations.
Meanwhile, the World Cup continues. And although the ball has already started rolling, the Iranian team continues to move between two countries, two borders and a reality that shows that, even in the biggest celebration of world football, politics are never left out of the stadium.
