US to welcome Iran national team for World Cup but not those with links to IRGC

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Martin Macdonald | Author

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the Iran national team will be welcomed to North America for the World Cup but has barred other travellers with links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The USA, alongside Israel, are currently at war with Iran following a series of bombings that have taken place over the last couple of months.

On February 28, 2026, the US and Israel launched a massive, coordinated military operation which eventually resulted in the death of Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. Iran retaliated by striking at Israel and strategic US military bases in the Middle East.

The tension has led to questions over Iran's participation in the World Cup as they as set to play three of their group stage matches in the USA.

Donald Trump previously said on Truth Social that Iran were welcome at the World Cup but the squad should probably stay away for safety purposes.

"The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to the World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP," his post said.

Iran initially said they would not participate due to the death of their Supreme Leader but they confirmed this past Wednesday that they would indeed take part.

That same day, Trump sent an official envoy to FIFA to float the idea of replacing Iran with Italy, which FIFA quickly rejected.

Rubio says the Iran squad is welcome, but those with "terrorist" links will be barred from entering the country.

“Nothing from the US has told them they can’t come,” Rubio told reporters.

“The problem with Iran would be not their athletes. It would be some of the other people they would want to bring with them, some of whom have ties to the IRGC. We may not be able to let them in, but not the athletes themselves,” Rubio said.

“They can’t bring a bunch of IRGC terrorists into our country and pretend that they are journalists and athletic trainers."

Washington has designated the IRGC as a “foreign terrorist organisation”.

The conflict in the Middle East has led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has caused major disruption to Global Trade.

Iran are scheduled to play New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles and Egypt in Seattle for the 2026 World Cup in North America.

A US state department spokesperson said: “The Trump administration is doing everything needed to support a successful World Cup while at the same time upholding US law and the highest standards of national security and public safety in the conduct of our visa process.”

FIFA president Gianni Infantino met the Iran World Cup squad in March and said FIFA would “support the team to ensure the best possible conditions as they prepare for the World Cup”.

There were previously suggestions that Iran's fixtures could be moved to Mexico to ease the potential tension of matches in the US, but those proposals never materialised.