Mehdi Taj, the head of the Iran Football Federation, has stated that no visas have yet been granted to Iran's national team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted in the United States. According to Iranian state media, Taj announced that the federation will hold a critical meeting with FIFA within the coming days to address the unresolved visa situation.
Decisive Meeting with FIFA
“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. He added, “We have not received any account from the other side regarding who has been granted visas. No visas have been issued yet.”
Visa Process Details
Taj explained that Iranian players are expected to travel to Ankara for fingerprinting as part of the visa procedure. However, efforts are underway to relocate this process to Antalya to minimize travel difficulties. “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 noted.
Political Context
The visa concerns emerge amid ongoing tensions between Iran, the United States, and Israel, following months of conflict that began on February 28. A fragile ceasefire has reportedly been in place since April 8. Iran and the US have not maintained formal diplomatic relations since 1980, following the hostage crisis after the Iranian Revolution.
Team Melli's Preparations
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 is scheduled to base themselves in Tucson during the World Cup. They will begin their campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, followed by matches against Belgium and Egypt in Group G.
