Iran’s national football team is making its way back to their World Cup 2026 base in Tijuana, Mexico following their match against New Zealand, but the return journey has been disrupted by immigration delays at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) involving captain Mehdi Taremi and Saeed Al-Hawidhi.
According to a report from the Iranian national team’s media unit, both players are currently held up in the final stages of the airport exit process, causing a delay to the squad’s onward flight to Tijuana.
This is not the first time the issue has arisen. On the outbound trip to Los Angeles, Taremi and Al-Hawidhi faced significant difficulties and scrutiny while attempting to enter the United States, with both players experiencing considerable delays before being allowed through.
The same situation has now repeated itself on the return leg, with both players encountering an unexplained hold-up at the airport departure gate that has already caused the team’s flight to Tijuana to be delayed.
However, All other members of the Iranian squad have already boarded the aircraft and are waiting on the plane. However, Mehdi Taremi and Saeed Al-Hawidhi remain in the final stages of clearing the airport, and efforts are still ongoing to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
Iran national team’s media team has confirmed the issue and stated that efforts are continuing to clear the matter and allow the two players to join the rest of the squad without further delay.
In addition, the visa of national team player Mehdi Tarabi has expired following his single entry into the United States. While all other Iran squad members were issued multiple-entry visas for their World Cup travel, Tarabi’s visa was valid for one entry only, meaning it expired after the team’s trip to Los Angeles for the match against New Zealand.
The Iranian Football Federation has confirmed it is taking immediate steps to apply for a new visa for Tarabi so that he can continue to travel with the national team and participate in their remaining World Cup fixtures.
Credit Photo : FFIRI
