Iran’s football federation chief has stated that no visas have yet been issued for the national team to participate in World Cup games in the United States, according to state media reports.
“Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we will have a decisive meeting with FIFA. They must provide us with guarantees, because the visa issue remains unresolved,” the state news agency IRNA quoted federation chief Mehdi Taj as saying on Thursday.
Taj further added, “We have received no communication from the other side regarding who has been granted visas. No visas have been issued yet.”
The players were initially expected to travel to Ankara, the Turkish capital, for fingerprinting as part of the visa application process. However, Taj mentioned, “The players must travel to Ankara for fingerprinting, but we are trying to arrange for this to be done in Antalya, to avoid the need for travel to Ankara.”
In a broader context, the US and Israel reportedly launched attacks on Iran on February 28, leading to a conflict across the Gulf, although a fragile ceasefire has been in effect since April 8. Diplomatic relations between Tehran and Washington have been severed since 1980, following the hostage crisis at the US embassy and the Islamic revolution that overthrew the US-backed Shah of Iran.
Despite these challenges, Iran held a send-off ceremony on Wednesday for its team, which is preparing to compete in the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Iran’s national team, known as TeamMelli, is slated to be based in Tucson, Arizona during the tournament. The Iranian squad is scheduled to commence its World Cup journey against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, before facing Belgium and Egypt in Group G.
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