FIFA World Cup 2026: US to review travel arrangements for Iran after match against Belgium

The United States will continue to review the Iran squad’s travel arrangements at the World Cup, but for now the original plan remains in place despite the team saying it would file a complaint with FIFA, Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the tournament, said. Reuters on Saturday.

Iran is unhappy with restrictions that mean it can only travel to venues within 24 hours of the match and must return to its training base in Tijuana, Mexico, immediately after each match, with coach Amir Ghalenoei suggesting his side were “the most oppressed team in the entire World Cup”.

However, Giuliani says the situation is fluid, and they will discuss what measures will be taken before Iran’s third match against Egypt in Seattle on Friday, after meeting Belgium in Los Angeles on Sunday.

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“The situation is dynamic,” Giuliani said in an exclusive interview in Houston. «We have a plan now. Tomorrow afternoon (after the match against Belgium) they will take the 27-minute flight back to Tijuana.

“We’ll see how it goes for game two, and then there will be discussions the day after about what it looks like for game three in Seattle.”

Giuliani defended the measures in place, saying the pre-tournament change in the team’s training bases from Tucson to Tijuana had shortened travel time from Iran.

«I think the move from Tucson to Tijuana was good for everyone involved; it certainly shortens their travel time to Los Angeles as well,» he said. “Their flight is an hour shorter than from Tucson. And we are happy with the way things went during the first game in Los Angeles.

«I just want to point out the fact that all the players have been given visas. All the coaches have been given visas. There are some team officials who have not been given visas, and that is because we have seen derogatory information about them, and this is the balance we are talking about.»

Protecting US interests

Giuliani said the goal has always been to protect the interests of the United States and international visitors at the World Cup.

“We want to make sure that we have this incredible soccer tournament where people are welcome and enjoy the World Cup, while also making sure that we protect not only American citizens, but all those international visitors that come here,” he said.

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He revealed that no threats to the tournament had been identified but officials remain vigilant.

“What I can tell you is that our intelligence community has tripled in this area since the beginning of this year,” he said. «We’re discussing it every hour. But there have been no credible threats at this point.»

Giuliani is satisfied with the first ten days of the World Cup.

“Things are going as planned,” he said. “It was fantastic to see the great play on the pitch, that seems to be the biggest part of the conversation and that was fantastic.

“I think this is a great celebration of America on our 250th anniversary, with the World Cup being an incredible highlight.”

Published on June 21, 2026