After months of uncertainty about its participation at the World Cup, Iran\u2019s soccer team has finally been granted visas to enter the United States, where it is scheduled to play all three of its group stage games, according to four senior officials.<\/p>\n
With their country at war with one of the World Cup hosts, the United States \u2014 a first in the tournament\u2019s near-100-year history \u2014 Iranian soccer players and officials were forced to wait almost until the start of the event to find out whether they would actually be allowed to compete.<\/p>\n
On Friday, an Iranian official was quickly dispatched to collect passports that had been handed in as part of the approval process, one official said. Applications from all members of the 26-man roster have been accepted, but more than a dozen members of the support staff \u2014 that could include coaches, trainers, analysts and medical personnel \u2014 and Iranian soccer federation officials expected to accompany the team were rejected, according to the four officials. The president of the Iranian federation, Mehdi Taj, a former commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also had his visa rejected, the first official added.<\/p>\n
FIFA, soccer\u2019s governing body whose president, Gianni Infantino, has developed a close relationship with President Trump, had been working behind the scenes to handle one of the biggest crises in tournament history, Mr. Taj told The New York Times in an interview<\/a> earlier this week. Mr. Infantino had met with Iranian officials in March, and his deputy, Secretary General Mattias Grafstr\u00f6m, traveled to Turkey last month as Iran arrived to begin a weekslong training camp.<\/p>\n The four officials who confirmed the Iranian visas were approved have direct knowledge of the team\u2019s visa status, but were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.<\/p>\n One, an administration official, said the visas necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup were issued to athletes and necessary support staff. The official said that the system would not be abused to allow anyone to be admitted to the country under false pretenses.<\/p>\n Paolo Zampolli, a longtime Trump ally and the administration\u2019s Special Representative for Global Partnerships, told The Times the decision to limit who could enter the United States was taken to \u201cprotect the homeland.\u201d<\/p>\n Iran is scheduled to play three games on the American West Coast, beginning on June 15 against New Zealand in Los Angeles. They play against Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21 and against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.<\/p>\n