Iran's World Cup team has US travel restrictions eased
AP News • • sports
Key Points:
- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has eased travel restrictions on Iran’s World Cup team, allowing them to arrive in the U.S. two days before their next match in Seattle, instead of the previous one-day arrival policy.
- The Iranian team must still depart the U.S. after their Friday match, and they will leave their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, on Wednesday for Seattle.
- Iran’s team had complained that previous restrictions, including late arrivals and travel delays between Tijuana and Los Angeles, negatively impacted their preparation and recovery.
- The policy change aligns with FIFA regulations, which generally allow teams to travel to match venues one day before matches, with exceptions for longer travel times.
- It remains unclear if Egypt, Iran’s next opponent, will receive similar travel accommodations, as FIFA denied Egypt’s request to fly directly to Seattle due to security resource limitations.
