World Cup 2026: For Iran, this is a battle on an unequal field

World Cup 2026: For Iran, this is a battle on an unequal field Submitted by Maziyar Ghiabi on Fri, 06/12/2026 - 18:04 Athletes are caught between domestic demands for national unity, and diaspora pressure to stand up to the Islamic Republic Fans in Tehran watch Iran v New Zealand on 16 June, 2026 (Reuters) On On a Sunday in early June, Iran ’s footballers landed in Tijuana , Mexico, a few hundred metres from a border they were not permitted to cross except to play. The squad had been forced to abandon its planned base in Arizona; the United States , which has placed Iran near the top of a list of nations under a comprehensive entry ban , issued the players’ visas 10 days before their opening fixture and refused several members of the delegation. Days later, Fifa revoked the ticket allocation for the team’s three US-based games, so Iranian players will run out before stands emptied of its own supporters.