Iran's Road to the World Cup: Visa Denials, a Mexico Base, and Political Pressure
Iran's players secured their US visas in time to compete, but around 14 federation officials were refused entry. The squad is based in Tijuana as political tensions have overshadowed their preparations.
Iran will be at the 2026 World Cup — but the journey to get there has been one of the most politically charged of any team in the tournament's history. After months of uncertainty, the country's players received the US visas required to enter and compete, a US official confirmed to ESPN in the days before the opening match. That confirmation came as a meaningful relief for a squad that had been preparing in the Turkish city of Antalya, waiting on a visa process complicated by the state of relations between the United States and Iran.
The squad's pre-tournament base is in Tijuana, Mexico, rather than in the United States — a decision requested by the Iranian football federation and attributed to security concerns. Iran flew from Antalya to Tijuana by private jet, with their matches in the group stage taking place on US soil: twice in Inglewood, California and once in Seattle, Washington. Training in Mexico while crossing the border for match days has become one of the defining images of Iran's World Cup build-up.
The situation for team officials and federation administrators was considerably more difficult than for the players themselves. According to ESPN, approximately 14 people in the Iranian delegation — including the federation's secretary-general and vice president — had been denied US visas ahead of the fixtures in Los Angeles and Seattle. Iran's football federation publicly accused the United States of vindictive behaviour and argued the refusals targeted legitimate football personnel for non-sporting reasons.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the matter publicly, saying the United States had no objection to athletes or their direct support staff competing, but that the country would not allow individuals with alleged ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to enter the country embedded in a football delegation. Iran's federation rejected that characterisation. Several players also spoke openly to ESPN about the toll that navigating the political tensions had taken on their preparations, with one defender reported to have criticised FIFA directly for not intervening more effectively on the visa question.
Iran are drawn in Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand, with their first match on June 15. Whatever the precise composition of their bench and coaching area when that game kicks off, the players have made clear they intend to compete. The full picture of who will be permitted to accompany the squad to US venues is expected to become clearer in the coming days.
Sources: ESPN — Iran players receive U.S. visas for 2026 World Cup · ESPN — Iran says U.S. has denied visas to key World Cup officials · ESPN — Iran arrive in Mexico ahead of World Cup; defender criticises FIFA over visas · ESPN — Iran says World Cup base camp moved from U.S. to Mexico
