Iran Accuses US of Visa Discrimination Ahead of World Cup 2026

Iran has strongly criticized the United States, alleging discriminatory visa practices after several members of its World Cup support staff were denied entry.

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processing visas for Iran's national football team

The dispute escalates just days before the June 11 start of the 2026 World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. While the Iranian players and their technical staff received their visas late Friday, thanks to the efforts of the US embassy in Ankara, Iran's embassy in Türkiye retaliated with a furious response on Saturday. They stated that a "large" number of managerial, executive, and other support personnel had been refused visas.

"You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran's national football team to its highest level," the Iranian embassy wrote on X, formerly Twitter. They urged FIFA to hold the US accountable for violating its rules and for the discriminatory treatment of Iran's national football team. Iran's Football Federation, whose chief Mehdi Taj was reportedly among those denied a visa, echoed these sentiments, calling the decision "political interference in sport in its worst form."

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a "large" number of managerial and executive staff and others had been denied visas

The federation asserted that the US government's "hostile behavior" has deprived the Iranian team of the opportunity to compete without discrimination and pledged to pursue the matter with FIFA. Iranian state television reported that while players and technical staff received visas, 15 administrative and management staff members did not. The issue is expected to be addressed further in Mexico. Earlier this year, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had suggested that visa issues might involve individuals with ties to the Revolutionary Guards, a group on the US terror blacklist, and Taj himself is a former Guards member, according to diaspora media.

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You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran's national football team to its highest level

Team Melli was scheduled to depart Antalya for Mexico on Saturday, with their group stage matches set to take place in the United States. Iran is drawn in Group G, facing New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and 21, respectively, followed by a match against Egypt in Seattle on June 26. The team had played two warm-up matches in Antalya, defeating Mali 2-0 and Gambia 3-1.

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FIFA must hold the US accountable for violations of its rules and for the discriminatory treatment of Iran's national football team