Iran says staff blocked from entering US after players given World Cup visas

Iranian officials say technical staff have been denied visas, hours after the US said players could enter the country. Iran says staff blocked from entering US after players given World Cup visas Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Members of the Iranian football squad are pictured walking on the pitch in a white football kit, at a friendly match in Turkey on 29 May 2026. Iran has accused the US of denying visas to "integral" members of its national football team's backroom staff, hours after Washington confirmed Iranian players had been given permission to travel to the upcoming World Cup. US officials said visas had been issued to players and "necessary support staff" on Friday, 10 days before Iran's opening fixture in Los Angeles on 15 June. It also said Iran would not be allowed to "abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretences". Iran's embassy in Turkey accused the US of "politically biased interference in sport" by denying further visas to a "large portion of the managerial and executive staff" and "technical advisers". A statement described the US announcement as a "whitewash", adding: "You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran's national football team to its highest level." Iranian embassy officials called on Fifa, football's world governing body, to intervene. Iranian state-linked media said the head of the football federation and his deputy were among those were denied entry to the US. The 2026 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, begins on 11 June, with Iran securing their place by finishing top of their qualification group in March 2025, almost a year before war broke out. It will be the first iteration of the competition to see a host nation receive the team of a country it is at war with. In late May, Iran moved its training base to Mexico from Tucson, Arizona. moved its training base to Mexico from Tucson, Arizona Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers Iran's football delegation would not be allowed to include individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards - a powerful branch of the Iranian armed forces. Several players in the Iranian squad have completed mandatory military service with the group. Iran are also due to play Belgium in California and Egypt in Seattle in their other two group games. Additional reporting from Bernd Debusmann Jr. Iran's players celebrate after the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asia zone qualifiers Fifa World Cup 2026: What you need to know about Iran The US president met his advisers, after officials confirmed the US and Iran had agreed a framework of a deal. Both suppliers have said the increase is due to higher global energy and gas prices. Tehran also signals progress on talks but says the key issue of nuclear weapons is not part of an initial framework it is working on.