The White House has defended Iran’s handling of visa restrictions during the World Cup, with top official Andrew Giuliani saying the team’s decision to base itself in Tijuana, Mexico, rather than Tucson was mutually beneficial.
Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, said cross-border logistics went smoothly for all sides despite Iran’s complaints during the group stage and after their elimination from the tournament.
The Iranian Football Federation had negotiated at the last minute to move the team’s base camp from Arizona to Mexico, partly due to uncertainty over whether visas would be granted to enter the US.
«It is important to point out that the Iranians chose to go to Tijuana. We were happy with that choice,» Giuliani told reporters on Wednesday.
«I think the Mexicans were very happy with that choice. I think the Iranians, as they said, were also very happy with that choice.»
“I think what we were trying to do here at the White House Task Force was apply common sense to ensure that the athletes could have fair play on the field.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had said her government agreed to let the Iranian team stay in Mexico during the World Cup, adding that the US did not want to host the team.
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Giuliani added that the decision also ensured that no one with connections to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) could enter the country using the World Cup as an excuse.
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The US granted visas to all Iranian players just 10 days before their first match, but several support staff were denied entry, including “key management and administrative members,” the Iranian Football Federation said.
Initially, the Iranian team was allowed to enter the US only a day before the matches, prompting coach Amir Ghalenoei to say they were the “most oppressed team” at the World Cup.
But Giuliani defended the travel arrangements, noting the logistical parity.
«In Los Angeles they were able to come a day early for the game. By comparison, the US was in Orange County. They took a bus ride, a longer bus ride than the flight was for the Iranians,» he said.
Restrictions were later eased for Iran’s third match in Seattle, when they were allowed to enter the country two days before the match.
“For Seattle, it was two days because we knew the flight was a little over three hours, so we wanted to make sure they had that extra day so we could get to parity,” Giuliani said.
However, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the team would still be required to leave on the day the competition ended.
Iran later thanked Tijuana residents for their hospitality at the World Cup following the team’s group stage elimination, saying Mexico had become «our second home and our second team.»
Published on July 9, 2026
