Friday, May 15, 2026 - Iran Football Federation chief Mehdi Taj has said no visas have yet been issued for Iran’s national team ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States.
According to Iranian state media, Taj said the federation
would hold a decisive meeting with FIFA within days over unresolved visa
concerns.
“Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we will have a decisive
meeting with FIFA. They must give us guarantees because the visa issue has
still not been resolved,” Taj said. “We have not received any account from the
other side regarding who has been granted visas. No visas have been issued
yet,” he added.
Taj explained that Iranian players are expected to travel to
Ankara for fingerprinting as part of the visa process, although efforts are
underway to have the process moved to Antalya to reduce travel complications.
“The players must travel to Ankara for fingerprinting, but we are trying to
arrange for this to be done in Antalya so there will be no need to travel to
Ankara,” he said.
The visa concerns come amid continuing tensions between
Iran, the United States and Israel following months of conflict that began on
February 28, despite a fragile ceasefire that has reportedly been in place
since April 8. Iran and the United States have also lacked formal diplomatic
relations since 1980 following the hostage crisis after the Iranian Revolution.
Despite the uncertainty, Iran held a send-off ceremony on
Wednesday for the national team, known as Team Melli, ahead of the tournament
co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. Iran are scheduled to base
themselves in Tucson during the World Cup and will begin their campaign against
New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15 before facing Belgium and Egypt in Group
G.
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