Iran’s World Cup soccer players have been granted visas to enter the United States, a White House official told Reuters on Friday, just 10 days before their first match in Los Angeles amid a conflict between the two countries.
Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, said late on Thursday the squad had still not received their U.S. visas but these were granted overnight, the White House official said.
A spokesman for Iran’s World Cup federation could not immediately be reached for comment.
The U.S. had not yet issued visas to some members of the Iran team’s technical and administrative staff, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Friday.
“Visas for some members of the national team’s technical and executive staff have not yet been issued, and the U.S. embassy has so far refused to issue them,” it said, without citing a source.
The Iran war has turned the World Cup – the biggest global sporting event – into a geopolitical contest, with both sides appearing to use the tournament for political posturing