Iran still waiting for US visas less than a month before World Cup

Iran's national football team head coach Amir Ghalenoei, Iran Football Federation President Mehdi Taj, and Vice President Mehdi Mohammad Nabi hold a jersey during a team's farewell ceremony ahead of their departure to the 2026 World Cup on Wednesday [Majid Asgaripour/Reuters]

Iran’s football federation chief says no visas have yet been issued for the national team to play World Cup games in the United States, state media reported.

“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,” the state news agency IRNA quoted federation chief Mehdi Taj as saying on Thursday.

“We have not received any account from the other side regarding who has been granted visas. No visas have been issued yet,” he added.

The players were expected to travel to the Turkish capital Ankara for fingerprinting as part of the visa process.

“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,” Taj said.

The US and ‌Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, leading to a war that extended across the Gulf, though a fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 8.

Tehran and Washington have had no diplomatic relations since 1980, following the hostage crisis at the US embassy and the Islamic revolution that toppled the US-backed shah of Iran.

Iran held a send-off ceremony on Wednesday for the team prepared to play in the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Iran’s national team, also known as TeamMelli, will be based in Tucson, Arizona during the World Cup.

The Iranians open their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15 before lining up against Belgium and Egypt in Group G.