Iran is scheduled to play at the World Cup in the USA – but it is still unclear whether the national team will be allowed to enter the country.Image: keystone
On June 16, Iran would play its first World Cup preliminary round game in Los Angeles. However, the entry permit is still pending.
June 4, 2026, 9:21 a.mJune 4, 2026, 9:21 a.m
A few days before the start of the World Cup, the Iranian national football team still does not know whether it will be able to take part. But now there are increasing indications that it could work.
Apparently the Iranian delegation is now planning to travel to the World Cup. The President of the Iranian Football Association Mehdi Taj said the delegation would fly to Spain on Saturday. From there we will continue to the base camp in Mexico. The team was originally supposed to reside in Arizona. But those responsible then thought it would be better to set up camp in Tijuana, Mexico.
Iran’s association president Mehdi Taj (m.).Image: keystone
As the sports news agency SID reports, the visa for Mexico has been available since Wednesday afternoon. This was announced by Iranian state television, citing the Iranian ambassador to Turkey. “The visas for the Iranian players were issued within 48 hours without having to appear in person and without being fingerprinted at the Mexican embassy,” the ambassador said.
However, there is still no entry permit for the USA. Although association president Taj assured at the beginning of the week that the US visas would be issued “quickly” after the Mexican visas. The lack of approval is probably the reason why the Iranians are setting up their base camp in Mexico.
Participation uncertain since the beginning of the war
Iran’s first game is scheduled for June 16th. This and the other two preliminary round games take place in the USA. The Iranian delegation is currently in Turkey, from where it has been negotiating with the US and Canadian embassies about entry permits.
The Iranian national team was one of the first to qualify for the World Cup. However, their participation has been in jeopardy since the USA and Israel launched air strikes on Iran at the end of February.
“The situation in the country and especially the war have thrown all our plans overboard,” Taj will say on “Sports1» quoted. In addition, the preparation for the World Cup was affected by “financial difficulties” that resulted from the country’s economic crisis and in particular from the sharp devaluation of the national currency against the dollar.
Members of terrorist organization feared
As the Reuters news agency reports, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that Washington had “no problem” with the Iranian team entering the country. However, it will not allow officials or employees with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard to accompany them. “We will keep a very close eye on this.”
Both the United States and Canada classify the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. Canada denied the association president entry to the FIFA Congress at the end of April because he has connections to this elite military unit.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will keep a close eye on the Iranian delegation.Image: keystone
FIFA may have underestimated the extent of this situation. “The image damage for FIFA and Gianni Infantino would be huge if Asia’s best team cannot take part in the World Cup because the host country bombs Iran,” says James Montague, an expert on football in the Middle East, to CNN. The situation is particularly ironic because Gianni Infantino presented Trump with the FIFA Peace Prize in December. (aargauerzeitung.ch)