Iran coach slams inconsistent US restrictions as World Cup training cut short before Belgium clash

Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei accused US authorities of applying travel restrictions inconsistently ahead of his side’s 2026 World Cup Group G match against Belgium, saying the latest arrangements left Iran with less than 16 hours to prepare and forced the squad to cut training short.

Ghalenoei’s frustrations have been building throughout Iran’s tournament. The team was relocated from its planned base in Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, and several staff members were denied visas to enter the United States. The squad has been required to commute across the border for each group fixture, but the conditions governing those trips have shifted from game to game.

“We only managed to train half the time we usually spend on training,” Ghalenoei said on Saturday. “We wanted to have optimal physical and technical preparation.” He pointed directly to the contrast with their opponents: “Look at the Belgium team — they arrived yesterday noon. They’ve managed to have proper training.”

The coach noted that Iran had been given roughly 24 hours to prepare before their opening 2-2 draw with New Zealand, and said conditions had deteriorated since. His sharpest criticism was reserved for what he described as a lack of logic in how restrictions had been applied. US officials confirmed that the squad’s travel arrangements would continue to be assessed on a rolling basis.

Ghalenoei said he had been informed that Iran would have greater autonomy over their travel planning ahead of their final group match against Egypt in Seattle on 26 June. That concession, he argued, only deepened his grievance. “For the third game, they’ve allowed us to decide to make our own decisions with regards to planning the travel,” he said. “But what my problem is, why didn’t they let us come earlier for the first two games as well? If they’ve managed to do this now, why didn’t they do that for our first game and for this game?”

Despite his frustrations, Ghalenoei praised FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino for their efforts to ease the situation. “I know for sure that Fifa and Mr Infantino are doing the utmost to ease these challenges that we are facing,” he said. He also acknowledged that US customs procedures had been handled smoothly once the squad crossed the border. “I’d like to thank the US for that. But unfortunately, it’s our training time that they did not give us.”