Iran World Cup squad heads to Mexico

US denied visas to the players for the tournament

TEHRAN:

Iran lashed out at the United States on Saturday for refusing visas to some of its World Cup squad support staff as the players were to leave Turkey for Mexico.

The row erupted just days before the June 11 start of the 2026 World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The Iranian players, who have been at a training camp in the southern Turkish resort of Antalya since May 18, received their visas late on Friday, Washington's envoy to Turkey Tom Barrack said on X, hailing the work of the US embassy in Ankara in "processing visas for Iran's national football team".

But Iran's embassy to Turkey hit back Saturday with a furious response, saying a "large" number of managerial and executive staff and others had been denied visas.

"You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran's national football team to its highest level," the embassy wrote on X.

"FIFA must hold the US accountable for violations of its rules and for the discriminatory treatment of Iran's national football team."

'Political interference in sport'

Iran's Football Federation, whose chief Mehdi Taj was reportedly among those denied a visa, also hit out, describing the decision as "political interference in sport in its worst form".

"By extending its hostile behaviour towards the Iranian nation into the field of sport, the ... US government has deprived Iran's national team of.. the opportunity to compete without discrimination," it said, pledging to pursue the matter with FIFA.

Iranian state TV's correspondent in Antalya said the players and their technical staff had received visas, but 15 others on the administrative and management side had not.

It said the matter would be followed up in Mexico.

Tensions over the war have complicated the US visa issue for Iran's Team Melli who shifted their World Cup base from Tucson in Arizona to the northwestern Mexican border city of Tijuana.