FIFA has confirmed that Iran will play all three of its 2026 World Cup group-stage games in the United States, including two at Los Angeles, where the large Iranian-American community is expected to give Team Melli a rare home-style advantage.
The international football federation (FIFA) on Saturday released the final schedule for Iran’s matches at the 2026 World Cup, one day after Iran was drawn with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand.
The federation confirmed that Iran will face the three teams at venues in the West coast of the United States.
Iran’s opening two games — against New Zealand and Belgium — will be held at Los Angeles’ 70,000-seat SoFi Stadium, effectively placing Team Melli in the heart of one of the largest Iranian diaspora hubs in the world.
Los Angeles, home to an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 Iranian-Americans, has long been known for its concentrated Iranian cultural presence, especially in neighborhoods like Westwood, also known as Tehrangeles or Little Persia.
Team Melli has experienced this before. In 1999, during a friendly with the United States at the Rose Bowl, more than 100,000 Iranian fans filled the stands, surpassing the stadium’s official 92,000-seat capacity and creating a near-home atmosphere. That match ended 1–1, with Iran scoring through Mehdi Mahdavikia.
Iran’s third match, against Egypt, will take place in Seattle, Washington, where analysts estimate more than 50,000 Iranian-Americans live. Fans from other states are also expected to travel, likely ensuring strong support despite the city’s sizeable Arab and Egyptian communities.
If Iran advances as the group’s second-place team — considered one of the more plausible scenarios — the team would remain in the United States for the first knockout round, extending what many are already calling an accidental home-field advantage.
Not alone despite travel ban
The White House on Wednesday said Iran’s national team will be allowed to enter the United States for the World Cup but suggested that Iranian fans will be barred, citing existing travel bans and declined to rule out immigration raids at matches.
“The President has, in his executive order, certainly named Iran as one of the countries whose teams will be exempt to come here,” the head of the White House task force on the World Cup, Andrew Giuliani, told reporters.
Asked whether there would be ICE raids at matches, Giuliani said “the President does not rule out anything that will help make American citizens safer.”
While there are concerns that fans traveling from Iran and other countries may be unable to secure US visas under the Trump administration's restrictions, the large Iranian diaspora already living in America is expected to more than compensate.
In a letter addressed to Google, Meta, YouTube and Amazon Web Services, the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with the Iranian People warned that Iran’s widening use of AI-driven surveillance, recurrent shutdowns and a “white SIM card” scheme for officials had created a two-tier digital system isolating ordinary citizens.
The Iranian government enforces some of the world’s toughest online restrictions, blocking platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Telegram for the general public. Most people rely on slow, unreliable VPNs that authorities routinely disrupt.
By contrast, X's new location feature recently revealed that select users receive government-issued SIM cards or whitelisted connections to bypass national filtering and throttling altogether.
The issue drew wide attention over the past few weeks, when the X feature revealed numerous pro-government figures were posting from inside Iran without VPNs – despite long claiming they used the same circumvention tools as ordinary citizens.
The disclosures triggered heavy public criticism, with many describing the system as “digital apartheid” or a “caste-based internet” that rewards political loyalty and entrenches inequality.
EU says firms must bolster anti-censorship tools
Hannah Neumann, who chairs the EU delegation, said a free internet remains the only barrier against propaganda and intimidation. “Technology companies are the guardians of this freedom, and now is the time to take their responsibility seriously,” Neumann said, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Euronews.
She added that companies were capable of measures that “ensure these voices are not silenced.”
Deputy chair Bart Groothuis said digital repression had become central to Iran’s authoritarian model. “By supporting tools to circumvent filters, we can improve secure communication and give Iranians access to the free internet,” he said.
The letter urged firms to fund open-source VPN and censorship-bypass projects, expand encrypted communication features and develop in-app proxies to keep users connected during outages. It also asked Amazon Web Services and human-rights–oriented VPN providers to offer free or discounted server space to stabilize services for Iranian users.
European legislators pressed Google to continue backing Jigsaw, Outline VPN and its SDK, and to consider integrating these tools into major apps. Meta was asked to embed filter-bypass technologies into Instagram, Facebook and Threads. Companies were also urged to provide simple procedures for appealing blocked accounts and to increase cooperation with digital-rights groups.
US lawmakers pursue parallel push
In Washington, lawmakers introduced the FREEDOM Act on Thursday, which would require the secretary of state, the FCC and the Treasury to assess technologies capable of supporting unfiltered internet access for Iranians.
Representative Claudia Tenney highlighted the potential of satellite-to-mobile systems that could “bypass the limitations of censorship and government networks.” The feasibility review will also evaluate UAV-based platforms and counter-jamming tools.
Representative Dave Min, whose district includes a large Iranian-American community, said promoting internet freedom strengthens global family ties while confronting authoritarian practices.
US President Donald Trump attended the ceremony and received the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize from Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), world football’s governing body, for promoting global peace and unity.
“This is truly one of the great honors of my life. Beyond awards, we have saved millions and millions of lives," Trump said. "The Congo is an example. India, Pakistan — so many different wars we were able to end, in some cases, a little bit before they started."
Iran will open the tournament against New Zealand on 15 June in Seattle, with further group games in Los Angeles and Atlanta.
Several senior Iranian football officials were denied US visas for the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw in Washington, prompting an initial threat by the Iran Football Federation (FFIRI) to boycott the event.
Out of nine members of the delegation who applied for visas, only four were granted entry, including head coach Ardeshir Amir Ghalenoei, while other senior officials, including federation president Mehdi Taj, were denied.
Despite the visa restrictions, the partial delegation attended the draw ceremony, ensuring Iran’s participation.
The team has now reached its seventh World Cup and its fourth in a row. Their arrival in the US comes against the backdrop of longstanding entry restrictions that continue to shape travel rules for Iranian nationals.
The top two teams and the eight best third-placed sides will advance to the round of 32.