Iran’s World Cup squad drew 2-2 with New Zealand on June 15. Then, instead of sleeping in Los Angeles like every other team would after a match, they were ordered to pack up and drive back across the border to Tijuana, Mexico.

Coach Amir Ghalenoei didn’t hold back. He called Iran the “most oppressed team in the whole World Cup,” pointing to travel strains and the near-total absence of recovery time between matches as the primary grievances.

From Arizona to Tijuana, the hard way

Iran originally set up its World Cup base camp in Tucson, Arizona. That lasted until late May 2026, when US visa denials for key staff members made it untenable to operate on American soil.

At least 11 federation officials were denied entry into the United States, gutting the team’s operational capacity during a tournament that’s supposed to be the pinnacle of international football.

With FIFA’s approval, the team relocated across the border to Tijuana. The Tucson-to-Tijuana shift was already disruptive enough. But the post-match order to leave Los Angeles immediately after the New Zealand draw added insult to injury.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino reportedly visited the Iranian team after the match, though the exact source of the departure orders, whether from US authorities, FIFA logistics, or some combination, remains unclear.

US-Iran tensions meet the beautiful game

The 2026 World Cup is co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. For most participating nations, that tri-country format is a logistical wrinkle. For Iran, it’s a minefield. The visa denials affecting federation staff are a direct product of the broader geopolitical standoff between Washington and Tehran.

No other team at this World Cup has been forced to relocate its entire base of operations due to visa issues. No other team has been told to leave the host country immediately after playing a match.

What this means for the tournament and beyond

Recovery time between matches is not optional at the elite level. Forcing a team to travel internationally in the hours after a competitive match is a tangible competitive disadvantage.

No official fan tokens or significant cryptocurrency activity has been tied to the Iranian national team during this World Cup cycle. That’s notable given the explosion of fan tokens across football, where clubs and national teams have increasingly used blockchain-based tokens to monetize their fanbases. The absence isn’t surprising, as US sanctions on Iran make any such venture a legal minefield for token platforms, but it underscores how sanctions create invisible walls around entire populations.