Iran's World Cup base camp is in Mexico, and the trouble starts there

Iran landed in Tijuana, not Arizona. The players have US visas; 15 staff do not. Their visa terms force a same-day border run for every match, and their fans’ ticket allocation is in dispute. The situation in Group G, in Kenyan time.

Iran's World Cup started at a Mexican airport. The squad landed in Tijuana before dawn after an overnight flight from Türkiye, where they had trained for three weeks. Their base camp was meant to be in Arizona, but visa uncertainty pushed it across the border, as Al Jazeera reported.

The players cleared the first hurdle. The United States granted their visas on Friday, ten days before the opener. Several support staff did not get the same. Iran's embassy in Türkiye said 15 administrative and management staff were denied entry. Mexico, by contrast, processed the team's visas on an exceptional basis, with no in-person interviews or fingerprinting.

The travel terms are the sting. Iran play all three group games on US soil, but their visa conditions require the team to enter and leave the country on the same day as each match. So they will sleep in Mexico and cross the border for every game, commuting in and out with no overnight stay in the United States.

The dispute reaches the supporters too. Iran's federation says FIFA revoked its fans' ticket allocation for the three US matches, the 8% that participating nations hand to their own supporters, according to reporting in the Washington Post. FIFA has also moved to bar the pre-1979 "Lion and Sun" flag from stadiums under its code of conduct on political symbols, a step now facing a US legal challenge. All of it sits against a backdrop of severe US-Iran tensions.

FIFA says the football goes ahead as planned. Iran sit in Group G with New Zealand, Egypt and Belgium. In Kenyan time, they open against New Zealand on 16 June at 04:00 EAT in Los Angeles, face Belgium on 21 June at 22:00 EAT, and close against Egypt on 27 June at 06:00 EAT in Seattle.

For African fans, the match to watch is Egypt against Iran on the final matchday. By then, the commuting and the off-field rows may matter less than the result. Group G will be decided on the pitch.