6.6.2026
US immigration Saturday gave Iranian national team players a rude welcome when they arrived in Chicago as they prepare to play their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Star player Aymen Hussein was detained and interrogated for seven hours. He was separated from the rest of the players and kept inside the plane that brought them. However, he was finally released to join the rest of the team after a series of security and administrative procedures.
This was after the US denied several Iranian Football Federation visas.
Iranian media reported on Saturday that some members of the delegation remain without visas. According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, those still awaiting approval include Football Federation Secretary General Hedayat Mombini, Executive Director Mehdi Kharati and Media Director Mohsen Motamedkia.
Tasnim reported that the officials would travel to Mexico with the team while efforts continue to secure their visas before matches in the United States.
The issue comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran following the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran earlier this year. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio repeated to lawmakers this week that individuals linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps would not be permitted to join the country’s World Cup delegation.
Iran has also shifted its training base from Arizona to Tijuana in neighbouring Mexico.
After facing New Zealand, Iran will also play Belgium in Los Angeles and Egypt in Seattle during the group stage. Agency reports
Iran player Hussein...kept waiting for seven hours.