With few days remaining for FIFA World Cup 2026, Iran's national team finally got their visa after a long delay for playing in the US for the upcoming grand tournament. Despite Iran's first game which is scheduled in only ten days, several accusations we're raised against the US regarding the lack of visas for supporting staffs of Iran's national team.
Some of the people who are yet to receive their visas include Hedayat Mombeini, the secretary-general of the Iranian Football Federation, and his deputy, Mehdi Mohammad Nabi. These are some of the 14 officials who have faced visa complications in their efforts to get into the United States.
Due to delays with the issuance of the necessary visas, Iran's football team has already set up training sessions in Turkey and Mexico.
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Iranian Football Federation President Mehdi Taj said Iran submitted national team players passports to US Embassy in Ankara for 2026 FIFA World Cup visa process https://t.co/au11DzNguf pic.twitter.com/EF4csacWcJ
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) June 5, 2026
What is the reason behind visa denial of Iranian staffs?
Relations became even tenser following the statement by the US ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, who appreciated the work of embassy officials in handling visa requests from Iran’s national team and wished the best for the team at the upcoming World Cup in 2026.
In response, Iran’s embassy was scathing about the alleged “whitewashing” by the US of violations of FIFA requirements and obligations. The country claims that the managers of crucial significance for the team and its coaches/administrators are refused access to the US.
The Iranian Football Federation considers this decision an example of “vindictive behaviour,” which makes achieving equal conditions impossible and requires interference by FIFA to avoid politicizing sports.
In their turn, the US insists that most players and many coaches of the team were granted access while others were rejected because of false statements. There has been no other official statement by neither FIFA nor US officials regarding this case.
½ï After weeks of uncertainty and wild speculation, Irans football team finally departed for Mexico on Saturday.
— Syed Zafar Mehdi (@mehdizafar) June 6, 2026
But the crazy part? Most of the teams support staff “ including manager Mohammad Nabi “ were denied US visa.
Thats how US hosts World Cup. pic.twitter.com/VmSYJ14XTu
Iran's schedule for the grand tournament
Despite the ongoing uncertainty, Iran is ready to tie up their boots from their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, before getting into the tournament's league stage scheduled to be played at US.
Iran is set to begin their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with their first match against New Zealand in California on June 15, staying their to face Belgium on June 21. Their league stage final is fixtured against Egypt on June 26 at Seattle.
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Iran's pre-tournament warm-up
Iran advances into the tournament with mixed warm-up results. Iran recently defeated Mali by 2-0 and also registered victories over Costa Rica and Gambia, although they suffered a loss against Nigeria during their preparations.
With the World Cup knocking on the door, Iran will be hoping for a quick resolution of the remaining visa issues, so that they can finally return to the big stage rather than off-field complications.
