United States officials have confirmed that Iran’s national football team will be required to leave the country within hours of the final whistle at each of their World Cup group games, creating an unusual and historically unprecedented logistical arrangement for a team competing at a tournament hosted in part on American soil.

Iran is scheduled to play their group matches in Los Angeles and Seattle. After each game, players, coaching staff and team officials must depart for a third country before returning for subsequent matches. The arrangement was confirmed by American government sources following the conclusion of the US-Iran war earlier this month and the announcement of the Geneva peace signing scheduled for June 19.

The logistical burden fell into focus this week when it emerged that Iran winger Mehdi Torabi’s entry visa had expired after the team’s first match. Team officials confirmed they secured him a new multiple-entry visa allowing him to travel in and out of the United States for each remaining game, but the episode illustrated how tightly constrained the squad’s movements are compared to every other team at the tournament.

Iran’s sports minister had initially suggested his country might not participate in the World Cup at all following US military strikes in June, saying “under no circumstances can we participate.” FIFA pressed both governments for clarity and the team ultimately traveled to the United States after guarantees were provided around their safety and movement.

The arrangement has no precedent in World Cup history. Teams at previous tournaments have moved freely between host cities and stayed in fixed camp locations for the duration of the group stage. Iran’s squad is effectively operating as visiting dignitaries under special travel arrangements rather than as full tournament participants in the conventional sense.

FIFA issued a statement saying it wants “all teams participating” and has been working with host nation authorities to ensure the Iranian squad can compete. The governing body declined to comment on the specific terms of Iran’s travel conditions beyond confirming that all necessary arrangements were in place for the team to play.

Iran’s first World Cup match was played in Los Angeles against New Zealand. Their remaining group fixtures will determine whether they advance to the knockout rounds, at which point the travel arrangements would presumably need to be renegotiated for each additional round. The broader diplomatic context surrounding Iran’s participation is covered in our article on the Geneva peace deal signing and the latest status of US-Iran diplomatic relations.

The situation has drawn attention from human rights organizations and sports policy analysts, who note that the conditions imposed on Iran’s team reflect the broader unresolved tensions between Washington and Tehran even as a formal peace process is underway. The peace memorandum covers military hostilities and the Strait of Hormuz, but does not address visa and travel conditions for Iranian nationals visiting the United States.

Iran’s coaching staff has publicly downplayed the disruption, saying the squad’s focus is on the football. Whether that focus can be maintained through a tournament structure that requires repeated cross-border travel after each match remains to be seen.