Iranian footballers arrive in Mexico

The Iranian national football team arrived in Mexico today, where they will continue preparations for the upcoming World Cup, before playing three group stage matches in the United States later this month.

The first to step off the plane was national team captain Ehsan Haysafi, who led the team dressed in blue jackets and white shirts. Upon landing at Tijuana airport, the Iranian players underwent a brief security check by Mexican authorities, after which they left the airport by bus.

At the exit from the airport, they were greeted by about twenty Iranian fans waving national flags.

Iran's participation in the World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, has been further complicated by the country's wartime circumstances. Problems with issuing US visas previously forced the Iranian national team to move its training base from Tucson to Tijuana, a city on the border with the US state of California.

The Iranian national team previously trained in Antalya, from where they traveled directly to Mexico by private plane.

According to Iranian state television, part of the delegation still does not have approved US visas. Among them are the Secretary General of the Iranian Football Federation, Hedayat Mombeini, and the Federation's Vice President, Mehdi Mohammad Nabi.

Iran will play their first match of the World Cup on June 15 against New Zealand in California, while they will face Belgium six days later at the same venue. The Iranians will play their final group stage match on June 26 in Seattle against Egypt.

There is a possibility that Iran and the United States could meet in the round of 32 on July 3 in Arlington, if both teams finish second in their groups.

US President Donald Trump said in March that he did not consider it appropriate for Iran to participate in the tournament, citing concerns about the safety of its players. A day later, the Iranian national team said that "no one can exclude them" from the World Cup.

Iran announced its final World Cup travel list on Monday. It includes 17 players from the domestic league, whose clubs have not played competitive matches since February due to war. Among those not included in the squad is former national team forward Sardar Azmoun, who was left out in March.

Iran's sports minister previously said that the national team's participation in the World Cup might not be possible, but the Iranian Football Federation confirmed in May that it was continuing preparations for the tournament.