The Iranian delegation will be based in Tijuana, Mexico, and will travel to the United States for all three group stage games.
Published May 28, 2026
Two days after FIFA confirmed it would move the team’s base camp from the United States to Mexico, an official from the Football Federation of Iran (FFIRI) said Iran’s World Cup delegation will need to be issued multiple-entry visas for matches in the United States.
FFIRI President Mehdi Taj said Wednesday that he expects the United States to issue visas to the World Cup team and support staff for the World Cup tournament, which begins in three weeks.
“The United States should give all players multiple-entry visas because they have to leave and re-enter the United States many times,” Taj told local reporters in Mashhad, northeastern Iran.
The Iranian representative has not yet been issued a US visa.
Last week, several members attended a visa appointment in Turkiye, where they are training.
Athletes and staff who traveled to Turkiye from Iran applied for U.S. visas, while players who had not applied before the start of the war with Iran in February also submitted visa applications directly to the embassy.
Meanwhile, the entire team has applied for Canadian visas in case Iran advances to the final tournament, which has been allocated to a venue in Canada.
The United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, sparking a three-month regional conflict.
Despite the cease-fire agreement, the United States carried out attacks on Iranian military facilities on Wednesday, and in return the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) launched attacks on “US air bases” in the region.
The Iranian national team will open the World Cup against New Zealand on June 15 in Los Angeles, California, before facing Belgium six days later. Iran’s final Group G match will be against Egypt on June 21 in Seattle, Washington.
FIFA confirmed on Monday that Iran’s World Cup training base camp has been moved from the United States to Mexico at the team’s request.
Iran had originally chosen a sports complex in Tucson, Arizona, USA as the home of its national team during the World Cup, but later requested a change.
When FIFA released the final list of team base camp locations this week, Iran was given Centro Xoloitzcuintre in Tijuana, Mexico as its chosen location.
Tijuana is located directly across the U.S.-Mexico border from San Diego, which could help with visa issues for the team entering Mexico, Taj said.
He first announced the camp move on Saturday before it was officially announced by FIFA.
“All team base camps of participating countries in the World Cup must be approved by FIFA,” Taj said in a statement.
“Fortunately, after the request we submitted, the meeting we had with FIFA and World Cup officials in Istanbul, and the webinar meeting we had with the esteemed FIFA Secretary General in Tehran yesterday, our request to change the team’s home base from the United States to Mexico was approved.”
The World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and will be held from June 11th to July 19th.
