PHILDELPHIA (AP) — Derik Hamilton is a freelance photographer for The Associated Press. He has worked with AP for 15 years covering sports events in the Philadelphia area.
I shot this to photo to highlight the extent of extremely heavy downpours that dellayed Monday's France-Iraq match. Weather delays are rare in World Cup play and this photo shows the intensity of the rain and a different side to the world's “beautiful game.”
I shot this with a Sony A9III with a 12-24mm lens. As we were getting ushered away from the field and entrance, I positioned my camera low and wide to draw focus to the flooding and the amount of water rushing in from the field.
Every moment of the World Cup is carefully planned. Every detail carefully chosen to highlight the sport on its grandest stage. One of the main things uncontrollable in an open-air stadium is the weather. In this instance, the sold-out crowd had hurried from their seats. The crowded sidelines of players, teams and media were empty. Only the rain remained. The flooded entrance, lone silhouetted man and empty chair captures the shift in chaos to what had become the news of the match: The rain.
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
Water floods a tunnel that leads to the field during a weather delay in the World Cup Group I soccer match between France and Iraq in Philadelphia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
The U.S. is easing its restrictions on Iran's World Cup team, allowing the squad to travel into the country two days before its next match, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday.
The team will still be required to leave after Friday's match in Seattle, a department spokesperson said. A spokesperson for the Iran Football Federation confirmed that the team will leave its base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, on Wednesday for Seattle.
“This was planned on our end,” Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, told The Associated Press. “We were going to look at how the first two movements went, and if they went smoothly, we would extend the extra day in light of the longer travel time.”
The policy change was first reported by NBC News and comes as officials from both countries negotiate over how to end the war in Iran.
Iran's squad has complained about the travel restrictions levied on the team, and the challenges it has faced since the outbreak of war. Iran originally sought to move its group stage matches to Mexico, with whom it has diplomatic ties. The team’s base camp was relocated from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana. Several team officials and members of the support staff have been barred from traveling into the U.S. with the team.
For the first two matches, in Los Angeles, the team was not permitted to travel until the day before, which Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei repeatedly said put the team at a disadvantage. The team had less than 24 hours on the ground before its noon match Sunday. “Right now we need recovery more than anything,” Ghalenoei said through a translator after the 0-0 draw against Belgium. “The conditions have been extremely hard for us.”
It's not uncommon for teams to travel a day before the match, and it's in line with FIFA regulations, which state that “each team shall travel from its team base camp to the match venue one day before matchday (MD‑1) and in exceptional cases on MD‑2, and shall return to their team base camp after the match (on MD/MD+1).”
But Iran had asked for more time to acclimate to host cities and recover after matches, especially for the 1,200-mile (1,930-kilometer) trip to Seattle. The team has scheduled a Thursday training at the University of Washington.
“We don’t ask for much. We just ask for the same procedure as for all the other 47 teams,” Iran national team player Alireza Jahanbakhsh said Sunday. “Hopefully we can bring everyone who is involved and help us with us.”
The Iran team has also said it experienced difficulties entering and exiting the U.S. each time it made the 127-mile (204-kilometer) flight between Tijuana and Los Angeles. The typically short trip took five hours the day before its first match against New Zealand, team captain Mehdi Taremi said.
Hours before Sunday's match against Belgium, U.S. Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin told Fox News the Iranians had “tried to get somebody in yesterday” who had direct ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. In a statement, the soccer federation vociferously pushed back, calling the claim “an outright and undeniable lie.”
It's unclear whether Iran's upcoming opponent, Egypt, will also be allowed to arrive in Seattle two days early. After its 3-1 victory against New Zealand in Vancouver Sunday, Egypt asked to fly directly to Seattle. FIFA denied that request, citing a lack of security resources to accommodate the last-minute demand. Egypt returned to its base camp in Spokane, Washington, a 45-minute flight from Seattle.
Egypt's national team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
AP Sports Writer John Marshall contributed reporting. AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
Iran players react at the end of the World Cup Group G soccer match between Belgium and Iran in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand (1) makes a save from Belgium's Maxim De Cuyper (5) during the World Cup Group G soccer match between Belgium and Iran in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Iran team pose for a group photo prior to the World Cup Group G soccer match between Belgium and Iran in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
