US refuses to ease Iran World Cup travel restrictions for Belgium match
Key takeaways
- Andrew Giuliani says Iran’s players will not be allowed to stay longer for their group matches in the US.
- The Iranian delegation left the US hours after the full-time whistle at their first World Cup match against New Zealand last week.
- Ghalenoei said the team had expected to spend the night in California to maximise the normal recovery process after their opening game.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Andrew Giuliani says Iran’s players will not be allowed to stay longer for their group matches in the US.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Iran's squad has been undergoing training at their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico [File: Victor Medina/Reuters]By Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters Published On 20 Jun 202620 Jun 2026The United States will not ease the travel restrictions on the Iranian team for their World Cup matches in Los Angeles and Seattle despite the team saying they would lodge a complaint with FIFA, the cohost nation’s top tournament official has confirmed.
The US will continue to assess the Iran squad’s travel arrangements, but for now the original plan remains in place, Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the tournament, told the Reuters news agency on Saturday.