US grants visas to Iran's World Cup squad 10 days before opener, but denies at least 15 staff members

Visa approval ends weeks of uncertainty

Iran's national football team has been granted visas to enter the United States for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, US officials confirmed on Friday. The approval comes just 10 days before Iran's opening Group G fixture against New Zealand in Los Angeles on 15 June. The decision was announced by US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, who wrote on X that the embassy in Ankara had processed the visas.

We are proud of our extraordinary team at the US Embassy in Ankara for processing visas for Iran's national football team on their way to the FIFA World Cup.

Barrack added that sport transcends borders and that the US looks forward to welcoming competitors and fans from around the world. The State Department later confirmed that the "necessary support staff" had also received visas, but warned it would not allow the Iranian team to "abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretenses."

Staff exclusions and security concerns

Despite the clearance for players, at least 15 members of Iran's technical and administrative staff were denied US visas, according to sources cited by Al Jazeera. Those excluded reportedly include coaches, technicians, and team officials. Some of the individuals were officially accredited by FIFA. The denials follow warnings from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who told lawmakers that Iran's delegation would not be allowed to include individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

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

Several Iranian players have completed mandatory military service with the IRGC, a powerful branch of Iran's armed forces. The Iranian football federation has not yet publicly commented on the visa approvals.

A tournament shadowed by war

The visa saga unfolded against the backdrop of an ongoing military conflict between the United States and Iran. On 28 February, the US and Israel launched a military attack on Iran, which retaliated with strikes on regional targets and a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. A ceasefire was implemented on 8 April to allow peace negotiations, but tensions remain high between the two nations, which have had no diplomatic relations since 1980.

The 2026 World Cup is the first edition in which a host nation will receive the team of a country it is at war with. FIFA president Gianni Infantino repeatedly insisted that Iran would participate, stating that the team had qualified and that sport should remain separate from politics.

They have qualified, the players want to play. Sport should remain outside politics.

Iran relocates base to Mexico

Due to the visa uncertainty, Iran moved its training base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, in late May. Mehdi Taj, president of Iran's football federation, confirmed that the team had submitted passports to the US Embassy in Ankara. The squad is expected to land in Tijuana on Sunday. Mexico had already granted visas to the Iranian delegation earlier in the week.

Iran will play all three group-stage matches on US soil: against New Zealand on 15 June in Los Angeles, Belgium on 21 June also in Los Angeles, and Egypt on 27 June in Seattle. The 2026 World Cup, the first to feature 48 teams, runs from 11 June to 19 July across the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Political wrangling over participation

The question of Iran's participation generated months of political and diplomatic debate. In March, Iran's Sports Minister Ahmad Donjamali said participation was "absolutely not an option," though a government spokesperson later reversed that position. US-Italian businessman and Trump confidant Paolo Zampolli proposed in April that Italy, a four-time champion that failed to qualify, should replace Iran in the tournament. That plan was rejected by FIFA.

Iran's ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, had stated just hours before the visa confirmation that the team had not yet received authorization to enter the US. The 2026 tournament marks the third World Cup in which Iran and the US have crossed paths in footballing terms, following politically charged encounters in 1998 and 2022.