Iran World Cup squad to head for Mexico via Spain

Iran's national football team is set to depart for Spain this weekend, en route to their World Cup base in Mexico, despite outstanding visa applications from both host nations. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

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We will leave for Spain on Saturday, and from there the team will go directly to Tijuana in Mexico.

Federation chief Mehdi Taj confirmed the travel plans, stating the team will proceed to Tijuana, Mexico, from Spain. He expressed confidence that Mexican visas would be secured imminently, followed by U.S. visas. Iran is scheduled to play group stage matches against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and 21, and then face Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

Taj highlighted that the ongoing Middle East war, which began on February 28 with attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, has significantly disrupted the team's plans. This conflict led to the cancellation of planned warm-up matches, including one against Spain, and necessitated a relocation of their World Cup base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana due to heightened tensions.

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We will obtain a Mexican visa tomorrow (Tuesday) or the day after, and then a US visa will be issued quickly.

Furthermore, the team's preparations have been hampered by financial difficulties stemming from the country's economic crisis and the depreciation of the Iranian rial against the dollar. Iran is currently training in Turkey, with recent friendly matches against Gambia and an upcoming one against Mali.

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The situation in the country, and especially the war, has upended all our plans.