Iran will enter the World Cup while at war with the host country, an unprecedented situation in the history of the tournament.
The US and Israel’s war against Iran began on February 28 and has been under an uneasy ceasefire since April 8, but uncertainty and occasional escalations in hostilities mean an end to the conflict is far from certain.
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For Iran’s players and staff, the situation has thrown World Cup preparations into turmoil. All of their matches will be held in the United States.
The Iranian team has spent more than two weeks in Turkiye, mostly practicing in the coastal resort of Antalya, with some heading to the capital Ankara to submit visa applications to the U.S. embassy.
The team’s participation in events in the United States, Canada and Mexico has long been in doubt and cannot yet be fully guaranteed as the visa situation is still up in the air.
“To be honest, it’s not easy,” said Saeed Ezatollah, a 29-year-old midfielder who also played for Iran at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
“This will be my third World Cup. So it might be easier for me and the other players to manage this kind of thing,” he told The Associated Press in English on the sidelines of Wednesday’s training session.
“But in the end… it will be difficult for us because at the same time we follow the news in our country and of course political matters can influence the minds of the players and the people.”
The team is scheduled to head to Mexico this weekend after receiving visas from the Mexican embassy in Ankara. The team announced on Thursday that the process of obtaining entry permits for the entire team has been completed.
Due to visa issues, Iran’s World Cup training base was moved from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana on the Mexico-California border.
Iran will play its first two matches near Los Angeles, which has a large Iranian community, many of whom oppose the current government.
“So certainly we expect a lot of fans during the game at the stadium,” Ezatolahi said. “And this will put a lot of pressure on us because the expectations will be high. Hopefully we can make them proud and show that Iranians are ready to take on any hard work in the world,” he said.
Mohammad Ghorbani, 24, will be playing in his first World Cup with Iran.
“It’s true that we are facing special circumstances right now, but we are footballers and we have to play, practice and prepare for the upcoming tournaments,” the Abu Dhabi-based player said in Farsi.
“On the other hand, we know that our people have gone through a lot of hardship throughout the war, and we are going to be there for them to get the best outcome for their joy and the joy of our people.”
The United States and Israel killed Iran’s supreme leader and other senior officials in the first attack. Iran responded with attacks targeting Israel, the US military, and Gulf Arab states. It also remains choked in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Gulf, putting global energy supplies at risk.
Despite a nominal ceasefire, Iran and the United States have not yet negotiated a permanent end to the war, and attacks continue in the region.
Iran is in Group G with New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt, and the Iranian team does not have to enter the United States until June 14, the day before their first game against New Zealand at Los Angeles Rams Stadium in Inglewood.
Iran will return to Inglewood to play Belgium on June 21st before completing Group G before facing Egypt in Seattle on June 26th.
“I’m really proud to be part of the national team,” Ezatolahi said. His career has seen him play for clubs in Spain, Russia, England, Belgium, Denmark, Qatar and now Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
“We need to clear our minds and be fresh because our goal and duty is to fight for our people, represent our country and show how good we are,” he said.
Ghorbani agreed, saying the team wants to bring joy to Iranians.
“The biggest message I can give right now is that the Iranian team is showing what it means to be a team,” he said. “We are showing the world the power of Iranian athletes and Iranian people, showing that we are one team under one flag that can bring joy to the whole country.”
The FIFA World Cup begins on June 11th. Check out Al Jazeera’s dedicated 2026 World Cup page for all the latest news, match progress and live text commentary, and stay up to date with group standings, real-time results and schedules.
