Mehdi Taj, president of the Football Federation of Iran, confirmed on May 14 that the national team has not yet received visas from the United States to participate in the 2026 World Cup, less than a month before the tournament kicks off. The news was reported by the state-run IRNA news agency.
“Tomorrow or the day after, we will have a decisive meeting with FIFA. They must provide a guarantee, because the visa issue has not been resolved yet,” Taj said. He added: “We have not received any notification from the other side about who has been granted a visa. No visas have been issued.”
The Iranian team is expected to travel to Ankara, the capital of Turkey, to provide fingerprints as part of the visa application process. However, Taj said the federation is trying to arrange for this to take place in Antalya to avoid long-distance travel.
Iran and the United States have had no diplomatic relations since 1980, following the hostage-taking at the US Embassy and the Islamic Revolution that overthrew the pro-US Shah regime. On February 28, the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, triggering a prolonged conflict across the Persian Gulf, although a fragile ceasefire has been in effect since April 8.
The Iranian team, also known as TeamMelli, will be based in Tucson, Arizona, during the World Cup. On May 14, Iran held a farewell ceremony for the team in Tehran before their departure. Iran will open their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, followed by matches against Belgium and Egypt in Group G.
