Iran national soccer team captain Mehdi Taremi criticized the conditions his squad faced traveling to the US for the 2026 World Cup, calling the arrangements a "logistical disaster." His comments, reported by Israeli outlet N12, come amid ongoing complaints by the Iranian team about visa and travel restrictions linked to U.S.-Iran tensions.
Iran national soccer team captain Mehdi Taremi has publicly criticized the logistical conditions his team faced during travel for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, describing the experience as a "logistical disaster." The remark, reported by Israeli news outlet N12 on Saturday morning, adds to a growing chorus of complaints from the Iranian squad and its coaching staff about visa restrictions and cross-border travel between the U.S. and Mexico imposed on the team amid U.S.-Iran tensions.
Taremi's comments echo earlier statements from head coach Amir Ghalenoei, who called the team "the most depressed" at the World Cup after the squad was ordered to leave the U.S. immediately following its opening match against New Zealand, forcing an overnight commute to Tijuana, Mexico — about 225 kilometers away. As The Zioneer has previously reported, the team was only permitted to enter the U.S. on match days and had to return to Mexico each night, an arrangement publicly criticized by English broadcaster Gary Lineker as "very unfair."
The remarks are attributed to Taremi himself via the Israeli media report. The U.S. State Department has not issued an official response to the latest criticism. The number of matches remaining for Iran in the tournament is not stated in the report.
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