Iran team departs for Mexico amid visa dispute with US ahead of World Cup 2026
Al Jazeera
Iran has accused the United States of blocking visas for key members of its World Cup delegation, including the federation president and technical staff, as players head to Mexico. The football federation called the move a political and unsportsmanlike act, vowing to take the case to FIFA.
Iran has criticized the United States for failing to issue visas to several support personnel of its World Cup team, as players prepared to leave Turkey for Mexico. The dispute erupted on Saturday (June 7), just days before the 2026 World Cup kicks off on June 11, a tournament co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada.
Iran's players, who have been training at the Antalya resort in southern Turkey since May 18, received their visas on Friday evening (June 6). US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack posted on social media platform X, praising the efforts of the US Embassy in Ankara in “processing visas for the Iran national football team.”
However, Iran's embassy in Turkey hit back on Saturday, saying a large number of key staff had been denied. “Why don't you say that visas have been denied to a large part of the management and executive team, technical advisors and others – who are an inseparable part of any national football team?” the Iranian embassy posted on X.
Iranian news agencies reported on Saturday that those denied visas included Iran Football Federation President Mehdi Taj, CEO Mehdi Kharati, Federation Secretary-General Hedayat Mombini and Communications Director Mohsen Motamedkia. According to the semi-official Tasnim news agency, the staff without visas will travel with the team to Mexico while Iran continues efforts to secure them.
The Iran Football Federation declared the behavior of co-host the US “contradicts international sports law” and said it would take the matter to FIFA. “The US government, continuing its hostile actions against the national team... has made an unsportsmanlike and completely political decision to deny visas to key management and administrative members of the Iran national football team,” the federation said in a statement. “This issue will definitely be pursued by the football federation through FIFA... FIFA has the responsibility to monitor and finalize visas for the management, executive, technical and support staff of the Iran national team.”
FIFA did not immediately respond.
Iran's Team Melli was scheduled to leave Antalya for Mexico at 3:20 p.m. local time on a flight with a stop in Spain, and expected to arrive in Mexico at 1:30 a.m. Sunday (June 8). The team will base itself in the northwestern border city of Tijuana, Mexico, throughout the tournament, but all three group-stage matches will be played on US soil. Initially, the team planned to base itself in the US but switched to Mexico amid wartime tensions.
Iran is in Group G, facing New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and 21, then Egypt in Seattle on June 26. Before departing, Iran beat Mali 2-0 in a final friendly in Antalya on Thursday (June 5), and previously beat Gambia 3-1 on May 29.
