Iran’s national football team has taken steps to secure travel documents for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States as less than a month remains before the tournament begins.
At least four Iranian football players along with one member of their support staff visited the US embassy in Ankara Turkey on Thursday to submit visa applications for the World Cup according to an AFP correspondent.
The team arrived at a training facility in Antalya Turkey on Monday to begin their final pre-tournament preparations for the World Cup which will be jointly hosted by the United States Mexico and Canada.
The correspondent noted that four players wearing navy blue tracksuits and one staff member dressed in black entered the embassy in the morning. The players were also expected to attend similar visa appointments at the Canadian embassy since Canada is also a co-host of the tournament.
Iran’s football federation chief Mehdi Taj had previously stated that no visas had been issued yet for the national team. He said a decisive meeting with FIFA was scheduled to discuss visa guarantees since the issue remained unresolved.
The entire squad applied for Canadian visas while some players who had not applied for US visas before the Iran conflict also submitted applications in Ankara. Iranian federation officials confirmed the whole squad attended visa appointments.
Iran is scheduled to play all three group stage matches in the United States against New Zealand Belgium and Egypt in Los Angeles and other US cities requiring only Canadian visas if they advance to the knockout rounds.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated there would be no issue allowing Iranian players into the country but clarified that some administrative or technical members could face restrictions if Washington determines they have ties to the Revolutionary Guard.
The visa situation has cast uncertainty over Iran’s participation despite the team qualifying early for their seventh FIFA World Cup. FIFA has expressed assurance that Iran will participate in the upcoming tournament.
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