Iran coach demands FIFA intervene after US denies overnight stays for third straight match; team trains in Tijuana
Amir Ghalenoei called US treatment 'really terrible' after his squad was again barred from overnighting in the host country; some logistics staff lack US visas; Iran drew 1-1 with Egypt with a late goal cancelled by VAR and awaits round-of-32 qualification
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Summary
Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei demanded FIFA president Gianni Infantino intervene after the US denied his squad an overnight stay in the host country for the third successive match, forcing the team to travel directly from Seattle to Tijuana, Mexico in the early hours of Saturday. The team has relocated its World Cup training base to Tijuana due to US restrictions stemming from the active Iran-US war. Some of Iran's logistics staff still lack US visas and no Iranian journalists received media accreditation. Captain Mehdi Taremi called the off-field conditions a "disaster." Iran drew 1-1 with Egypt at Seattle Stadium on Friday night, with a stoppage-time goal disallowed by VAR, and now wait on other group results to learn whether they advance to the round of 32.
Why it matters
The World Cup, co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, is running concurrently with the active conflict between the US and Iran that began in February 2026. Iran's presence in the tournament, which Washington initially tried to prevent, has become a live diplomatic flashpoint: every logistical restriction the host country imposes lands as a geopolitical statement, and Ghalenoei's public demand for FIFA to "stand up" to the US applies pressure on Infantino to either codify equal treatment for all teams or accept that a co-host can leverage tournament access as coercive diplomacy.