Iran 2026 World Cup squad heads to Mexico as US visa dispute erupts

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The row erupted on Saturday, just days before the June 11 start of the 2026 World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada. The Iranian players, who have been at a training camp in the southern Turkish resort of Antalya since May 18, received their visas late on Friday, Washington’s envoy to Turkiye Tom Barrack said on X, hailing the work of the US embassy in Ankara in “processing visas for Iran’s national football team”. But Iran’s embassy to Turkiye hit back on Saturday with a furious response, saying a “large” number of key staff had been denied visas. “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 Iranian embassy in Turkiye said in a post on X. “You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran’s national football team to its highest level,” the embassy added. Iranian news outlets on Saturday said those who did not receive a visa included Iran’s football federation chief Mehdi Taj as well as Director Mehdi Kharati, the secretary-general of the federation, Hedayat Mombini, and Media Director Mohsen Motamedkia. Staff members without visas would travel to Mexico with the team while efforts to obtain visas continue, the semiofficial news ⁠agency Tasnim said. Iran’s football federation said the behaviour of cohosts the US “contradicts international sports laws” and it would take up the matter with football’s world governing body FIFA. “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,” it said in a statement reported by Iran’s state media. “This issue will definitely be pursued by the Football Federation through FIFA. “As the responsible body, [FIFA] has the 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 did not immediately respond. The US and Israel launched a war on Iran on February 28. Hostilities were halted by an April 8 ceasefire, which appears to be rapidly unravelling after weeks of threats and a renewal of strikes by both the US and Iran. Team Melli is due to leave Antalya for Mexico on a 15:20 (12:20 GMT) flight that includes a stopover in Spain. They are scheduled to arrive in Mexico at 01:30 (07:30 GMT) on Sunday, a spokesman said earlier this week. The team will be based in the northwestern border city of Tijuana for the duration of the tournament, but all three of their group stage matches are due to be held in the US. They were originally due to be based in the US but switched their camp to Mexico due to the tensions over the war. Iran, who are in Group G, will play New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and 21, followed by a game against Egypt in Seattle on June 26. Ahead of their departure on Saturday, Iran played a final friendly against Mali in Antalya on Thursday, which they won 2-0. They played a first match on May 29, beating Gambia 3-1. The FIFA World Cup begins on June 11. You can follow the action on Al Jazeera’s dedicated World Cup 2026 page with all the latest news, match build-up and live text commentary, and keep up to date with group standings, real-time match results and schedules. 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