Iranian Football Team Faces U.S. Travel Restrictions Despite New Framework Agreement

Two days following the signing of a framework agreement between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending their conflict, the Iranian Football Federation announced that U.S. travel restrictions on its national team remain in effect. The federation declared it will file an official complaint with FIFA regarding the matter.

Despite the framework agreement, which consists of 14 articles and was signed separately by U.S. President Joe Biden in Versailles and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran on Wednesday, no provisions were included to ease U.S. immigration procedures for Iranian citizens, including football players. The Iranian Football Federation stated on Thursday that the travel restrictions imposed by the United States hinder the team’s proper preparation for the World Cup.

The complaint follows U.S. officials’ confirmation that Iranian players will only be allowed to enter the United States one day before each match and must leave immediately after the game ends. These conditions remain unchanged despite the recent diplomatic breakthrough. The Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) indicated in a statement that it will pursue the complaint through FIFA’s legal channels, describing the restrictions as conflicting with the principle of "equal conditions" among all participating teams.

This statement came days after Iran’s coach Amir Ghalenoei described his team as "the most unfairly treated in the history of international competitions" following their 2-2 draw against New Zealand in Iran’s opening match. The technical staff had planned to arrive two days before each game and depart the following day to allow players sufficient time for recovery and acclimatization. However, the team arrived in Los Angeles only one day before the New Zealand match and was forced to leave immediately after the final whistle. Striker Mehdi Taremi reported that players were informed on match day that they had to exit U.S. territory as soon as the game concluded.

White House Dismisses Iranian Complaint

Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House task force overseeing the tournament, downplayed the Iranian federation’s complaint, emphasizing that the rules had been clear from the outset. He stated, "From the beginning, we made clear that this procedure would be applied." Giuliani added, "The team will be allowed to enter the United States one day before the match and will be required to leave after the game. This applies to both Los Angeles and Seattle." Iran had requested earlier access to Los Angeles ahead of its upcoming match against Belgium scheduled for Sunday at 9 p.m. Central European Time, but the request was denied.

The travel restrictions add to an already tense relationship between the Iranian Football Federation and U.S. authorities. Washington refused to grant visas to approximately 15 members of the Iranian team’s administrative and technical staff, including federation president Mehdi Taj, who was unable to accompany the team.

FIFA’s Role and Limitations

The Iranian team is participating in the World Cup hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada amid the recent war and the fragile ceasefire that followed. Due to this situation, the team established its base in Tijuana instead of on the U.S. side of the border, where its three group stage matches are held. The framework agreement signed on Wednesday sets the stage for a long-term peace, to be followed by an additional 60 days of negotiations, while tensions between the United States and Iran remain high.

At the time of this report, FIFA had not responded to Iran’s complaint. The organization maintains that its authority to intervene in such disputes is limited, having previously emphasized that immigration law enforcement "remains outside its jurisdiction." Nonetheless, FIFA’s agreements with host cities require governments to ensure a "non-discriminatory visa environment" for players and officials as a condition for hosting matches.

FIFA has previously revoked hosting rights from a country due to visa-related issues. For example, Indonesia was stripped of hosting the 2023 Under-20 World Cup after its government barred Israel from participating. However, FIFA has not indicated any readiness to take similar action against the United States. Travel bans issued by the Trump administration exempted athletes and accompanying team staff traveling for the World Cup from entry suspensions, but the timing and conditions of entry remain subject to U.S. border officials’ discretion.