Iran had already secured their spot in the tournament. Getting into the country hosting it was a different problem entirely.
Iran’s football federation president Mehdi Taj confirmed Thursday that the federation is counting on FIFA to come through with multiple-entry US visas for the national team, with the squad now set to base itself in Tijuana, Mexico, ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The tournament kicks off June 11, and Iran still needs clearance to cross into the country where all three of their group stage matches are scheduled to be played.
“FIFA is expected to deliver a multiple-entry visa so that the players can enter and return [to Mexico],” Taj said.
This situation did not appear overnight. On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran, triggering a wider regional war that immediately cast a shadow over the team’s participation in a tournament co-hosted by the US. For months, nobody had a clean answer on whether Iran would even make it to the pitch.
The Iranian squad later moved its training base to Tijuana, Mexico. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed her country would host the Iranian squad, a direct workaround to the visa uncertainty on the American side. Iran’s original plan had been to set up camp in Tucson, Arizona. That plan is long gone.
FIFA has not stayed silent. At the governing body’s congress in Vancouver last month, president Gianni Infantino stated Iran would play their scheduled matches in the US as planned. Iran’s sports minister Ahmad Donyamali backed that up Thursday, saying Infantino gave him a direct promise.
“The FIFA president promised us that all our players would receive visas. There is no reason why our players should not receive visas,” Donyamali said.
Some players are not waiting around. A group from the squad traveled to the US embassy in Ankara on Thursday to submit their visa applications. The team is currently in training camp in Antalya, southern Turkey, preparing for a World Cup they are determined to show up to.
“It is certain now that we will go to Mexico. The team is preparing,” Taj said.
Iran’s Sardar Azmoun situation takes center stage ahead of 2026 World Cup
The visa issue is moving toward a resolution. The Azmoun situation is not. Sardar Azmoun, Iran’s most recognizable footballer with 57 international goals and stints at Bayer Leverkusen and AS Roma, was left out of the initial squad list by the team’s manager. When Taj was asked about it Thursday, his response was something close to remarkable for a federation president talking about his country’s star player.
“I am not aware of the situation regarding Sardar Azmoun,” Taj said. The backdrop to his omission is complicated. Azmoun previously voiced support for anti-government protests inside Iran. Iranian state media ran accusations of treason against him after a photograph from March showed him alongside the ruler of Dubai, where he currently plays and lives. The criticism came loud and it came fast.
Then, on Monday, an Iranian vice president publicly called for Azmoun to be reinstated. Azmoun posted on Instagram, describing himself as “a son of Iran” and revealing he had once turned down a large financial offer to play for another country.
Whether any of that moves the needle with the manager remains to be seen. A vice president’s endorsement and an emotional Instagram post are not the same thing as a squad call-up.
Iran open their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15. They face Belgium in the same city on June 21, then close out the group stage against Egypt in Seattle on June 26. Every single match is on US soil.
They are preparing in Turkey, based in Mexico, playing in America, and doing all of it against the backdrop of a war. Whatever happens in Group G, Iran’s road to their first game is already a story of its own.
