Sports
Iran footballers issued US visas for World Cup, says White House
Iran’s World Cup football 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 US 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 US 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 US 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.
It is the first World Cup, since its inception in 1930, in which a host nation is set to receive a country it is at war with.
Tehran negotiated a last-minute move of the team’s base from Arizona to Tijuana in Mexico due to the visa issues and a growing feeling in Iran that the squad’s presence in the United States should be kept to a minimum.
They are scheduled to land in Tijuana early on Sunday.
Iran are due to play their first Group G match on June 15th against New Zealand in Los Angeles, where they will also face Belgium before taking on Egypt in Seattle.
The US had never formally said it did not want the Iranian team to stay on its territory, Ambassador Pasandideh said.
However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on Tuesday that the US would not allow Iran to include in its World Cup delegation individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, a powerful branch of the Iranian armed forces.
Mehdi Taj, president of Iran’s football federation, was denied entry for the tournament draw in Washington in December. He is a former commander in the Revolutionary Guards.
Iran’s desire to compete in the World Cup underscored its efforts to reach a resolution in the war with Washington, Pasandideh said.
“Iran’s participation in the World Cup — even on the soil of what is seen as its enemy — shows that Iran seeks peace,” Pasandideh said, speaking through a Spanish interpreter at the Iranian embassy in Mexico City.
Progress in peace talks between Iran and the US has been slow, with both sides seemingly inching toward an interim agreement even as they continue to carry out military strikes.
Switzerland were left fuming after forward Breel Embolo was sent off in the second half of Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final following a VAR review that deemed him guilty of simulation, a decision that proved pivotal in their 3-1 extra-time defeat to Argentina.
The controversial incident unfolded with the score tied 1-1. Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes was initially shown a yellow card for a tackle on Embolo, but video review revealed that the Swiss striker was already falling before contact was made.
Because Embolo had received a yellow card earlier in the match, the punishment was upgraded to a second yellow — and subsequently a red — leaving Switzerland to play the remainder of the game with only 10 men.
The red card came at a devastating moment for Switzerland. Dan Ndoye had just scored the equaliser moments earlier, swinging momentum firmly in their favor.
Coach Murat Yakin was preparing to introduce fresh attacking players to press for a winner when the decision turned the tide.
The incident marks the second time a yellow card has been overturned using the “mistaken identity” protocol at this World Cup. The rule permits VAR intervention when an incorrect player is shown a yellow or red card.
Embolo now joins an unwanted list of World Cup infamy. He is only the fourth player in the past 60 years to receive a second yellow card for simulation at the tournament, following Mexico’s Luis Pérez (2006 vs. Portugal), Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan (2006 vs. Brazil), and Italy’s Francesco Totti (2002 vs. South Korea)
Despite scoring the same number of goals after the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup, FIFA has confirmed that France captain Kylian Mbappe is ahead of Argentina’s Lionel Messi in the adidas Golden Boot race.
Mbappe reclaimed top spot after scoring his eighth goal of the tournament in France’s quarter-final victory over Morocco, taking his tally to eight goals and three assists.
Messi also has eight goals but trails the French forward with two assists, leaving the Argentina captain second in the standings.
Norway striker Erling Haaland remains third with seven goals after netting a brace against Brazil in the quarter-finals, while England’s Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane are tied on six goals and one assist each.
France winger Ousmane Dembele occupies sixth place with five goals and two assists, while Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr, Mexico’s Julian Quinones, Brazil’s Vinicius Junior and Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal have four goals apiece.
According to a statement on FIFA’s website on Sunday, the Golden Boot will be awarded to the player who finishes as the tournament’s top scorer.
“If two or more players score the same number of goals, the number of assists (as determined by the members of the FIFA Technical Study Group) shall be decisive.
“If two or more players are still equal after taking into account the number of assists, the total minutes played in the tournament will be taken into account, with the player playing fewer minutes ranked first,” the football body said.
So far, Mbappe has played fewer minutes than Messi.
Top 10 adidas Golden Boot standings after the quarter-finals:
Kylian Mbappe (France) – 8 goals, 3 assists
Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 8 goals, 2 assists
Erling Haaland (Norway) – 7 goals, 0 assists
Jude Bellingham (England) – 6 goals, 1 assist
Harry Kane (England) – 6 goals, 1 assist
Ousmane Dembele (France) – 5 goals, 2 assists
Ismaila Sarr (Senegal) – 4 goals, 1 assist
Julian Quinones (Mexico) – 4 goals, 1 assist
Vinicius Junior (Brazil) – 4 goals, 1 assist
Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain) – 4 goals, 1 assist
Julian Alvarez sent defending champion Argentina into the World Cup semifinals with a long-range strike in the 112th minute against Switzerland, while another goal by Lautaro Martinez with seconds left in extra time only served to make the 3-1 victory look a whole lot easier than it was Saturday night.
Alexis Mac Allister also scored off a corner kick from Lionel Messi, helping La Albiceleste gut out another down-to-the-wire thriller and advance to play England on Wednesday in Atlanta. The Three Lions beat Norway 2-1 earlier in the day.
Messi’s nine-game World Cup scoring streak ended, but his pursuit of a second World Cup title continues.
The game swung in the second half on a call sure to rile up critics who believe Argentina has been favored in this tournament.
The Swiss had just tied the game on Dan Ndoye’s goal in the 67th minute when Leandro Paredes was shown a yellow card for a tackle on Breel Embolo.
But video showed the Swiss player falling before the Argentina midfielder made contact with him, and since Embolo received a yellow card earlier in the match, he was sent off and Switzerland left to defend with 10 players.
It was the second time a yellow card has been overturned using the “mistaken identity” protocol at the World Cup. The rule allows the video assistant referee to intervene when an incorrect player is shown a yellow or red card.
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