US denies visas to Iranian football staff despite hosting duties

The United States has denied visas to several Iranian national football team officials and staff ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite its duties as one of the hosts of the global event.

While visas were eventually issued to all players in Iran’s 26-man squad, a number of support staff and football federation officials were barred from entering the US, according to Iranian media reports and information published by The New York Times.

Iran’s national team is due to leave Antalya for Tijuana, Mexico, on Saturday to continue preparations for the World Cup.

However, several accompanying officials have not received US visas, including team manager Mehdi Mohammadnabi, Football Federation Secretary General Hedayat Mombeini, executive manager Mehdi Khorrati, media manager Mohsen Motamedkia, and other members of the media, analysis, foreign affairs and international relations teams.

The visa denials come despite months of coordination between FIFA and Iranian officials to ensure the team’s participation in the tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

According to The New York Times, more than a dozen members of Iran’s support staff were rejected, including trainers, analysts and medical personnel. Mehdi Taj, president of Iran’s football federation, was also denied a visa. Taj had previously warned that Iran’s participation could face serious complications because of US restrictions.

According to a report by Tasnim, all staff and officials will accompany the team in Mexico while efforts to secure their US visa will continue. 

The uncertainty surrounding the visas had cast doubt over Iran’s ability to properly prepare for the tournament.

Iran is scheduled to play all three group-stage matches on the US West Coast, beginning against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15. The team will also face Belgium in Los Angeles and Egypt in Seattle later in the month.

The issue has drawn wider attention because it comes only months after the joint US-Israeli aggression against Iran, which disrupted domestic football activities and forced many Iranian players to train under difficult conditions.

Iran’s professional football league was suspended in the aftermath of the attacks, while national team camps were relocated to Turkey and later Mexico.

Iran had originally planned to establish its World Cup base in Tucson, Arizona, but later shifted operations to Tijuana in coordination with FIFA to reduce the amount of time the team would need to spend inside the United States.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino and senior officials reportedly held talks with Iranian authorities behind closed doors in an effort to prevent what some described as one of the biggest diplomatic crises in World Cup history.

Iranian officials have repeatedly argued that the host countries are obligated to guarantee equal treatment for all qualified teams under the principles of fair play.

“We have qualified for the World Cup, and the best facilities must be provided to us for the games,” Taj told The New York Times earlier this week. “There is something in football called fair play that all countries need to have equal opportunities.”

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