Mehdi Torabi receives US visa for World Cup matches with Iran

Iran’s World Cup has been a story of closed doors, but one of them has finally swung open for Mehdi Torabi. The winger looked set to spend the rest of the group stage stranded at the team’s camp across the border in Tijuana — his single-entry US visa already spent.

Iran forward Mehdi Torabi will be able to continue playing at the World Cup after solving a visa issue, the Iranian football federation said on Tuesday, but the United States has reaffirmed that the squad must leave the Us after each game. Previously, his visa had been declared invalid after his initial entry to the United States for the opener against New Zealand on Monday in Los Angeles, which finished 2-2.

Iran’s chaotic World Cup campaign has hit another snag, with winger Mehdi Torabi caught up in a visa issue following the opener against New Zealand. The problem adds to a growing list of frustrations for Iran, who drew 2-2 with New Zealand and are already dealing with travel and recovery issues linked to their base across the border in Tijuana.

The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday that the visa issue that would have prevented Iran forward Mehdi Torabi from entering the U.S. for the next World Cup has been resolved.

Mehdi Torabi issued a new visa after previous one expired when team returned to Mexico following the New Zealand game.

Iranian forward Mehdi Torabi has received a visa for the United States that will allow him to play the rest of the tournament there, a team official said Tuesday."With this visa now secured, Torabi will have no issues accompanying Iran’s national team in its upcoming matches and will be available to travel with the squad throughout the remainder of the tournament."

Iran forward Mehdi Torabi will be able to continue playing at the World Cup after solving a visa issues, the Iranian football federation said. Previously, his visa had been declared invalid after his initial entry to the United States for the opener match against New Zealand on Tuesday, which finished 2-2.