Iran's national team faced difficulties leaving the United States (USA), after their opening match at the 2026 World Cup, in which they drew 2-2 with New Zealand. Bureaucratic procedures caused by immigration at Los Angeles airport would have caused disruption and delay in the delegation's return to Mexico. According to IRNA, the Iranian state agency, the "unjustifiable" delay ended up hampering the team's preparation, which was only able to arrive in Tijuana at dawn. Related news: Amid geopolitical tension, Iran draws with New Zealand in the opener. World Cup: Iran says its ticket quota was revoked at the last minute. The Iranian team will be able to enter the USA the day before the World Cup games. “Members of the Iranian team embarked late due to the unjustified delay in the departure process of Mahdi Taremi and Saeed Al-Houi,” the state agency reported. Taremi is captain and standout of the Iranian team. Al-Houi is one of the assistants accompanying the delegation. Due to the delay, arrival in Tijuana, Mexico, was only possible during the early hours of the morning, which ended up hampering the preparation planned by the technical committee. >> Follow the Agência Brasil channel on WhatsApp Previous problems The problems imposed by the USA on the Iranians began months before the World Cup, with the difficulties faced by members of the delegation in obtaining a visa, which was only possible on the eve of the tournament. Some were even prevented from traveling to the USA. To make matters worse, the Iranian delegation was banned from staying in the US state of Arizona, as initially planned. It is worth remembering that Iran's three opening matches will be played on US territory. The solution adopted as an emergency was to change the delegation's base to Mexico. Subsequently, the US government informed that it would not allow the delegation to stay overnight in the US, before or after the matches. This decision, however, was revised to allow the team to stay overnight the night before each match. Iranian fans have also reported difficulty participating in the biggest football event on the planet. According to international agencies, there are reports of Iranian fans who had their tickets canceled just a few days before the start of the World Cup.