Iran’s soccer team held a farewell ceremony in Tehran on Wednesday, but state media reported that U.S. visas had not yet been issued.
Published May 14, 2026
According to state media, the president of Iran’s Football Federation said that visas for the national team to play World Cup matches in the United States have not yet been issued.
“Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow we will have a decisive meeting with FIFA. The visa issue has not been resolved yet, so FIFA needs to give us guarantees,” state news agency IRNA quoted federation president Mehdi Taj as saying on Thursday.
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“We have not received any explanation from the other side about who has been issued a visa. No visa has been issued yet,” he added.
The players were scheduled to travel to the Turkish capital Ankara to have their fingerprints taken as part of the visa process.
“The players have to go to Ankara to get their fingerprints taken, but we are trying to arrange for this to be done in Antalya, so they don’t have to go to Ankara,” Taj said.
The United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, leading to a war that spread across the Gulf, but a fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 8.
Tehran and the US government have not had diplomatic relations since 1980, following the US embassy hostage crisis and the US-backed Islamic revolution that overthrew Iran’s Shah.
Iran on Wednesday held a farewell ceremony for its team to compete in the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The Iranian national team, also known as Team Melli, will be based in Tucson, Arizona during the World Cup.
The Iranians open the World Cup against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, before facing Belgium and Egypt in Group G.
