Visas for the 2026 World Cup were not issued to everyone: Iran claims the US government is depriving their national team of the right to compete without "unnecessary pressure and stress"
Kyiv • UNN
The US denied visas to some of the Iranian national team staff and mandated that players arrive only on the day of the match. The State Department explained the restrictions as security measures.
The US has issued visas to the Iranian national team, but not to everyone. The players will be required to arrive and depart on the day of the match. This is reported by DW and The Guardian, according to UNN.
Details
Several members of the Iranian national football team's support staff, including the head of the national Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, did not receive US visas, The Guardian reports, citing Iranian state media and diplomats. According to the publication, this happened a few days before the start of the tournament and on the day the team left for Mexico for its training camp.
Iran's ambassador to Mexico stated that under the visa terms, players must enter and leave US territory directly on the day of the match.
The US State Department said that "visas required for Iran's participation in the World Cup, including for athletes and necessary support staff, have been issued." It added that the US "will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to secretly bring terrorists into the US under false pretenses."
The Iranian Embassy in Turkey, where Iranian footballers were preparing for the World Cup and applying for visas to enter the US, reported that visas were denied to "a significant part of the administrative and management staff, technical consultants, and other individuals who are an integral part of the national team." The US government is "depriving the Iranian national team of the right to compete in the World Cup under normal conditions, without unnecessary pressure and stress," the statement continued.