Iran fume at United States as visa row erupts on eve of World Cup departure to Mexico

Iran’s preparations for the 2026 World Cup descended into political chaos on Saturday after Tehran launched a blistering attack on the United States, accusing the co-hosts of refusing visas to a swathe of the national team’s support staff just as the squad prepared to fly out from Turkiye to Mexico.

The eleventh-hour row exploded only days before the June 11 curtain-raiser of a tournament being jointly staged by the United States, Mexico and Canada – a competition already coloured by the deeply strained relations between Washington and Tehran.

Embassies trade blows on social media

Iran’s squad, who had been holed up at a training base in the southern Turkish resort of Antalya since May 18, were eventually granted their visas late on Friday night.

Washington’s envoy to Turkiye, Tom Barrack, took to X to celebrate the work of the US embassy in Ankara in “processing visas for Iran’s national football team”.

But the diplomatic goodwill lasted barely a matter of hours. By Saturday morning, Iran’s embassy in Turkiye had delivered a furious rebuttal, insisting that a sizeable chunk of the team’s behind-the-scenes personnel had been frozen out.

“Why do you not say that visas were denied to a large portion of the managerial and executive staff, technical advisers, and others who are an integral part of any national football team?” the embassy fired back online.

The post went further still, branding the move a calculated act of hostility. “You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran’s national football team to its highest level,” the embassy added.

Federation chief among those snubbed

Iranian media outlets quickly named names. Among those reportedly left without travel documents were Iran’s football federation president Mehdi Taj, Director Mehdi Kharati, federation secretary-general Hedayat Mombini and Media Director Mohsen Motamedkia – a roll call of senior officials central to the running of the national team operation.

According to semi-official news agency Tasnim, those left in limbo will still travel to Mexico alongside the playing squad, with efforts to secure the missing visas set to continue once the team has touched down.

FIFA dragged into the dispute

Iran’s football federation wasted little time in escalating the matter, vowing to take the issue all the way to football’s world governing body. In a strongly-worded statement carried by state media, the federation accused Washington of breaching the spirit of the sport.

“The US government, continuing its hostile actions against the national team … ‌made a non-sporting and completely political decision to refuse visas for key managerial and administrative members of the Iranian national football team,” the statement read.

The federation insisted FIFA could not stand on the sidelines. “This issue will definitely be pursued by the Football Federation through FIFA,” it warned, adding that the governing body had a duty “to follow up and finalise the visas for the managerial, executive, technical, and support staff of the Iranian national team who are currently in camp and whom the national team urgently needs.”

FIFA had not publicly responded at the time of writing.

A backdrop of war

The visa fiasco lands against the grim backdrop of recent hostilities between the two nations.

The United States and Israel launched a war on Iran on February 28, with fighting halted by an April 8 ceasefire – though that truce has shown ominous signs of unravelling in recent weeks amid renewed threats and fresh strikes from both sides.

It is precisely that geopolitical powder keg that has forced Team Melli to rethink their tournament logistics.

Originally slated to base themselves inside the United States, the Iranians instead shifted their training camp to Mexico in light of the war, with the squad set to operate out of the northwestern border city of Tijuana for the duration of the competition.

Group G journey awaits

Iran’s flight path out of Antalya was scheduled for 15:20 local time (12:20 GMT) on Saturday, with the squad routed through Spain before an expected arrival in Mexico at 01:30 local time (07:30 GMT) on Sunday.

Despite the Mexican base, every one of Iran’s three Group G fixtures is set to take place on American soil — a logistical quirk that will keep the visa question very much alive throughout the group stage.

Iran open their campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, before facing Belgium in the same city on June 21 and rounding off the group against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

Warm-ups go to plan

On the pitch at least, Iran’s build-up has been encouraging. Team Melli rounded off their Antalya camp with a 2-0 friendly win over Mali on Thursday, having earlier opened their preparation programme with a 3-1 victory against Gambia on May 29.

Whether the off-pitch turbulence proves an unwanted distraction or a galvanising rallying cry remains to be seen — but Iran’s World Cup story has already begun long before a ball has been kicked.