United States officials have confirmed that Iran’s national football team must leave the country within hours of the final whistle at their 2026 World Cup group stage matches in Los Angeles and Seattle, sparking criticism over the handling of the team's visas.

Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, told The Associated Press that the process was pre-arranged. According to him, the team is allowed to enter the US one day before the match and must depart the evening of the game.

Team Melli drew with New Zealand in a politically charged Group G match in Los Angeles on Monday. Shortly after the game, the Iranian delegation was forced to leave the US and return to their base in Mexico, prompting complaints from players and coaches about the lack of recovery time.

Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei stated that the team was ordered to leave immediately, contrary to their expectation of staying overnight in California for normal post-match recovery.

Additional controversy arose when Iran winger Mehdi Torabi’s entry visa expired after the first match. The US State Department confirmed that a new multiple-entry visa has been issued, allowing him to participate in future games.

Giuliani also revealed that some support staff and team officials were denied entry due to alleged ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), citing Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s policy of barring anyone with direct IRGC connections.

Iran captain Mehdi Taremi criticized the lengthy travel and security checks, saying the team endured five hours of processing during the short trip from Tijuana to Los Angeles. He called on FIFA to provide more assistance.

Source: www.aljazeera.com