Iran Players Receive U.S. Visas for 2026 World Cup, Potential USMNT Matchup Ahead
Iran will be able to compete at the 2026 World Cup with its full roster of players, after multiple eports emerged that the team received the required visas to play tournament games in the United States.
Iran’s players and staff applied for their visas at the U.S. embassy in Türkiye, per ESPN, as the team took their World Cup preparations to Antalya while dealing with the issues that could arise as they make their way to North America.
While the players, as well as coaches, trainers and some support staff, appear set for the World Cup, not all officials had received their approvals as of Saturday, according to Iranian state television. In those reports, it was unclear whether the Iranian FA’s president, Mehdi Taj, had been approved for a visa.
Middle East Conflict Takes Spotlight
The participation of Iran has been a key issue in the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup, given the nation’s political unrest among its own people, as well as the ongoing conflict with the U.S. and Israel.
The conflict has shut down most transit through the pivotal Straight of Hormuz, raising oil and goods prices around the world—an impact felt by the World Cup, not only in Iran’s participation but also in flight costs across North America.
Due to complications with visas, Iran moved its previously scheduled training base from Tucson, Ariz., to Tijuana, Mexico, just south of the California border. The team plans to travel to the U.S. solely for matches, departing immediately afterwards.
U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack appeared to confirm the visa approvals on Friday.
“Proud of our outstanding team at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara for their work processing visas for Iran’s national football team on their road to the FIFA World Cup in the United States,” he posted to X. “Sports transcends borders, and we look forward to welcoming competitors and fans from around the world.”
U.S. Open to Athletes
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated last week that Iran’s delegation would be closely monitored for any ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, but that its athletes would be welcome to compete in the tournament.
“We have no problem with the athletes, as we stated earlier, or their support staff,” Rubio said. “But what we’re not going to allow is for them to embed in their delegation a bunch of people that we know have nothing to do with athletics and have ties to the IRGC or things of that nature.
“So we were going to watch that very closely, and we’ll continue to watch that very closely, but by and large, I don’t anticipate that problem with any other country.”
Iran will play two group stage matches at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, with the first against New Zealand on June 15, before facing Belgium on June 21.
They will complete the group stage in Seattle on June 26 against Egypt, a match which local organizers have deemed the Pride Match, despite the matchup featuring two countries with some of the strictest anti-LGBTQIA2S+ laws in the world.
A USMNT vs. Iran Matchup?
The U.S. men’s national team and Iran met four years ago at the 2022 World Cup Qatar in the group stage. This year, the teams could potentially meet up again in the knockout round, perhaps as soon as the round of 32.
Should both the USMNT and Iran finish second in their respective groups, they would play each other in a winner-take-all game at the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
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