Iran World Cup team heads to Mexico as US visa row erupts

Iran's World Cup squad left Turkey for Mexico on Saturday, their departure shadowed by a significant diplomatic dispute between Tehran and Washington over U.S. visa denials for several members of the team's support staff. The controversy erupted just days before the June 11 start of the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

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

The team departed around 6:10 pm local time for Tijuana, Mexico, where they will be based during the tournament. Their flight was expected to last approximately 20 hours. The Iranian national team, known as Team Melli, had spent nearly three weeks in a training camp in Antalya, Turkey, using this period to apply for visas to travel to all three host nations.

While the players and their technical staff successfully obtained their U.S. visas on Friday evening, Iran's embassy in Turkey reported that a substantial number of managerial and executive staff members were denied entry. This led to a strong rebuke from the embassy, which stated on X, "You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran’s national football team to its highest level." The embassy urged FIFA to hold the U.S. accountable for violating its rules and for the discriminatory actions against the Iranian team.

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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.

Iranian state television indicated that 15 individuals from the administrative and management side were denied visas, while the players and technical staff received theirs. The matter is expected to be pursued further in Mexico. Iran's Football Federation, whose chief Mehdi Taj was reportedly among those denied a visa, also condemned the decision as "political interference in sport in its worst form." They argued that the U.S. government's actions deprived the Iranian national team of a fair opportunity to compete.

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By extending its hostile behaviour towards the Iranian nation into the field of sport, the… US government has deprived Iran’s national team of… the opportunity to compete without discrimination

In response, a U.S. administration official confirmed that "the visas necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup, including for athletes and necessary support staff, have been issued." Without directly addressing the specific visa denials, the official added, "We will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretences."

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We will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretences.