An Iranian player’s World Cup trip hit trouble when his visa expired just a day after his first game.
Iran faced a big setback when one of their players’ visas expired just hours after their first World Cup match. After a hectic start with many visa issues and having to move their base to Tijuana, Mexico, Iran opened their tournament with a 2-2 draw against New Zealand at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Right after the game, they headed back to get ready for their next match at the same stadium against Belgium on Sunday, June 21. But things took a hit when star winger Mehdi Torabi found out his visa had expired. According to AFP and the state news agency IRNA, Torabi had a single-entry visa instead of a multiple-entry one. While many staff and officials had visa problems, all players were able to get their visas approved—except this mix-up with Torabi.
The Iranian Football Federation has said they are working to get a new visa for him so he can stay with the team for the upcoming matches. Also, captain Mehdi Taremi reportedly had some trouble at LAX airport when the team was flying back to Tijuana.
All of Iran’s group matches are in the U.S., with their last game scheduled against Egypt in Seattle.