Egypt and Iran granted permission to travel to Seattle ahead of World Cup match

After initially being denied their request to stay and train in Seattle ahead of its World Cup match on Friday, forcing the squad to return to Spokane after earning the country’s first-ever World Cup victory, Egypt will now get two days in the Emerald City before playing Iran at Seattle Stadium.

The team, known as ‘The Pharaohs’, will hold a training session on Wednesday night in Seattle, according to FIFA. The change comes after team manager Ibrahim Hassan said in a statement posted to Egypt’s soccer federation website that “security authorities” rejected the team’s request to stay in Seattle following Sunday’s win over New Zealand in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The statement did not identify which security authority denied the request, and it remains unclear whether the decision was made by U.S. officials, FIFA organizers, or another entity. Egypt has been based in Spokane throughout the tournament, training at Gonzaga University.

The team’s complaint comes as thousands of Egyptian fans are expected to travel to the Seattle area for Friday’s match.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday it is easing restrictions on Iran’s World Cup team and allowing the squad to travel into the country two days before the match with Egypt.

The team will still be required to leave after Friday’s match in Seattle. 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.”

An island nation’s unlikely success has emerged as one of the World Cup’s best stories

Meanwhile, another World Cup story has captured the attention of soccer fans around the globe.

Cape Verde, the island nation off the coast of West Africa, has emerged as one of the tournament’s biggest surprises after earning draws against powerhouse nations Spain and Uruguay in its first two matches.

The emotional centerpiece of that story has been Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha.

Following the team’s opening match against Spain, the goalkeeper became emotional during a television interview while discussing his mother, who was unable to attend because she had not received a visa in time to travel to the United States.

The interview quickly spread across social media, drawing international attention and support.

In the days that followed, Cape Verde’s soccer federation, FIFA, U.S. officials, and lawmakers worked to secure travel documents for his mother. She arrived in Miami before Cape Verde’s match against Uruguay, creating a heartfelt reunion that has become one of the most widely shared moments of the tournament.

Cape Verde will face Saudi Arabia on Friday. A victory would send the tournament underdogs into the World Cup knockout stage and continue one of the competition’s most compelling stories.

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