Fuss about visas
A few weeks before the start of the World Cup: Iran is waiting for entry permits
May 10, 2026 – 3:02 p.mReading time: 1 min.
The Iranian Football Association has not yet received visas for the USA. The World Cup participant hopes for support from FIFA.
The Iranian national soccer team is facing a visa problem before the World Cup: The USA has not yet issued any entry permits to the team. Association president Mehdi Taj confirmed this and spoke of significant delays.
The team will travel to Turkey at the end of the week for ten to 15 days. Taj told the TV channel Nasim that it was hoped that the visas would be issued during this time. “Because they haven’t given anyone a visa yet and it’s very delayed,” he said.
Taj is also aiming for a meeting with FIFA boss Gianni Infantino and FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström – either in Zurich or in Turkey. He had previously sharply criticized the world association and set conditions for participation. Iran wants to ensure that there are no political comments against the team or the association at the games.
In Group G, Iran will face New Zealand on June 15th. Other opponents are Belgium and Egypt. All three games are scheduled to take place in the USA. The background is the military conflict between Iran and the USA that has been ongoing since the end of February – the ceasefire is considered fragile. More than a million Iranians live in the USA, most of whom are considered opponents of the current Iranian leadership.
