Iran has submitted the passports of its national football team members to the US Embassy in the Turkish capital of Ankara as part of the visa process ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Iranian Football Federation President Mehdi Taj said.
Speaking to Iran state television, Taj said FIFA had requested that the passports be delivered to the embassy.
“Yesterday, FIFA asked us to submit the passports of Iran’s national football team members to the US Embassy in Ankara, and we did so,” Taj said.
Taj said the federation is awaiting a decision on the visa applications and expects clarity within the next two days.
“We are waiting today and tomorrow to see whether US visas will be issued for the national team members,” he said, noting that the squad must secure the visas before traveling to the Mexican city of Tijuana.
Despite the uncertainty, Taj expressed confidence that all members of the delegation would receive visas.
“My assessment is that visas will be issued for all members of Iran’s national football team traveling to the United States,” he said.
He added that the federation has informed FIFA that it may pursue alternative options if visas are not issued for some members of the national team.
“We have informed FIFA that if visas are not issued for some members of the national team, we will make other decisions,” he said.
Taj did not elaborate on what alternatives the federation could consider if visa issues persist.
The comments came after Iranian officials announced that the national team’s players had received Mexican visas ahead of the World Cup, which the United States, Canada, and Mexico will jointly host.
According to Iranian football officials, the team’s delegation is scheduled to depart for the Mexican border city of Tijuana on Friday, where it will be based before and during the tournament.
The visa issue has emerged as one of the main concerns for Iran ahead of the World Cup. Although the team is expected to be based in Tijuana, Mexico, all three of its Group G matches will be played in the United States.
Iran will open its campaign against New Zealand at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on June 16 before facing Belgium at the same venue on June 21. The team will conclude the group stage against Egypt at Lumen Field in Seattle on June 26. The squad will therefore need to travel from Mexico to the United States for each of its matches.
Iran has been holding a pre-World Cup training camp in the Turkish resort city of Antalya since May 19.
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