On the evening of June 15 (local time), the Iranian national football team was ordered to leave the United States immediately after finishing their match. As a result, the team had to change their plans and return to their base in Tijuana, Mexico, which is more than 200 kilometers away.
In response, a White House official in charge of World Cup affairs defended the arrangement, saying it was always the plan. "We made it clear in advance that this is how the process works," they said.
According to a Xinhua News report on June 17, Andrew Giuliani, Executive Director of the White House FIFA Task Force, told US media that the Iranian team "would be allowed to enter the US the day before their match day" and "on the night of the match day itself, they would be required to depart. The same arrangements would apply to their matches in Los Angeles and Seattle."
Giuliani also confirmed that the US had denied visa applications for some of Iran's logistical staff and officials, but declined to provide specific details, only stating that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously made it clear that "anyone with direct ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps will not be allowed to enter the United States."
On the evening of June 16, the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran issued a statement saying it had requested FIFA to look into the matter regarding some of its personnel who were not granted US visas.
Iran's remaining two group-stage matches are against Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21, and against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
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