Iran Squad Arrives in Tijuana, Mexico — 4 Days Before World Cup Opener; IRGC-Linked Officials Remain in Iran; Federation Still Protesting Denial of 14 Staff

Iran's World Cup delegation arrived in Tijuana, Mexico on the morning of June 7 after departing Antalya, Turkey at 6:30 PM local time on June 6 and making a brief stopover in Spain. The squad is now established at their pre-confirmed base camp at Centro Xoloitzcuintle in Tijuana — 4 days before Iran's Group G opener vs New Zealand on June 15 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. While the players themselves hold approved US visas following White House confirmation on June 6, Iran's Football Federation continues to protest the denial of visas to 14 backroom officials and staff — including secretary-general Hedayat Mombeini and vice president Mehdi Mohammad Nabi. The US Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, had stated the embassy processed the visa applications; Iran's embassy in Turkey disputed aspects of the characterization publicly. Iran's operational capacity is materially reduced by the absent officials, though the squad will proceed to compete. US Secretary of State Rubio had explicitly separated athletes from IRGC-linked support staff in his public statements. Iran will commute from their Tijuana base across the US border by road for their Group G US matches. The diplomatic standoff — the first World Cup in history where a host country (the USA) is in active military conflict with a participating nation (Iran) — now enters its competition phase with 4 days to the June 11 kickoff at Estadio Azteca.