Reuters
The Iranian Football side participating at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. [Photo: REUTERS]
Iran’s Football Federation says U.S. host officials caused travel delays for striker Mehdi Taremi and assistant coach Saeed Alhoei as they travelled to Seattle ahead of Iran’s World Cup clash against Egypt.
According to Iran’s ISNA news agency, the pair were delayed while the rest of the delegation waited for them to rejoin the team.
The reported incident comes just days after U.S. authorities eased travel restrictions on Iran’s World Cup squad following complaints that strict entry rules were disrupting preparations.
Iran, which is based in Tijuana, Mexico, during the tournament, had previously been required to enter the United States shortly before matches and leave soon afterwards.
Coach Amir Ghalenoei had criticised the arrangements, saying repeated cross-border travel left players fatigued.
Iran will face Egypt in Seattle at 3pm Saturday.
