Iran 2026 World Cup squad heads to Mexico as US visa dispute erupts

Iranian officials accidental a ‘large’ fig of cardinal unit denied visas arsenic the squad is acceptable to question to Mexico.

Iran has lashed retired astatine the United States for failing to supply visas to immoderate of its World Cup squad enactment unit arsenic the players were to permission Turkiye for Mexico.

The enactment erupted connected Saturday, conscionable days earlier the June 11 commencement of the 2026 World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada.

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The Iranian players, who person been astatine a grooming campy successful the confederate Turkish edifice of Antalya since May 18, received their visas precocious connected Friday, Washington’s envoy to Turkiye Tom Barrack said connected X, hailing the enactment of the US embassy successful Ankara successful “processing visas for Iran’s nationalist shot team”.

But Iran’s embassy to Turkiye deed backmost connected Saturday with a furious response, saying a “large” fig of cardinal unit had been denied visas.

“Why bash you not accidental that visas were denied to a ample information of the managerial and enforcement staff, method advisers, and others who are an integral portion of immoderate nationalist shot team?” the Iranian embassy successful Turkiye said successful a station connected X.

“You person present escalated the deliberate and discriminatory attraction against Iran’s nationalist shot squad to its highest level,” the embassy added.

Iranian quality outlets connected Saturday said those who did not person a visa included Iran’s shot federation main Mehdi Taj arsenic good arsenic Director Mehdi Kharati, the secretary-general of the federation, Hedayat Mombini, and Media Director Mohsen Motamedkia.

Staff members without visas would question to Mexico with the squad portion efforts to get visas continue, the semiofficial quality ⁠agency Tasnim said.

Iran’s shot federation said the behaviour of cohosts the US “contradicts planetary sports laws” and it would instrumentality up the substance with football’s satellite governing assemblage FIFA.

“The US government, continuing its hostile actions against the nationalist squad … ‌made a non-sporting and wholly governmental determination to garbage visas for cardinal managerial and administrative members of the Iranian nationalist shot team,” it said successful a connection reported by Iran’s authorities media.

“This contented volition decidedly beryllium pursued by the Football Federation done FIFA.

“As the liable body, [FIFA] has the work to travel up and finalise the visas for the managerial, executive, technical, and enactment unit of the Iranian nationalist squad who are presently successful campy and whom the nationalist squad urgently needs.”

FIFA did not instantly respond.

Team heads to Mexico

The US and Israel launched a warfare connected Iran connected February 28. Hostilities were halted by an April 8 ceasefire, which appears to beryllium rapidly unravelling aft weeks of threats and a renewal of strikes by some the US and Iran.

Team Melli is owed to permission Antalya for Mexico connected a 15:20 (12:20 GMT) formation that includes a stopover successful Spain. They are scheduled to get successful Mexico astatine 01:30 (07:30 GMT) connected Sunday, a spokesperson said earlier this week.

The squad volition beryllium based successful the northwestern borderline metropolis of Tijuana for the duration of the tournament, but each 3 of their radical signifier matches are owed to beryllium held successful the US.

They were primitively owed to beryllium based successful the US but switched their campy to Mexico owed to the tensions implicit the war.

Iran, who are successful Group G, volition play New Zealand and Belgium successful Los Angeles connected June 15 and 21, followed by a crippled against Egypt successful Seattle connected June 26.

Ahead of their departure connected Saturday, Iran played a last affable against Mali successful Antalya connected Thursday, which they won 2-0. They played a archetypal lucifer connected May 29, beating Gambia 3-1.

The FIFA World Cup begins connected June 11. You tin travel the enactment connected Al Jazeera’s dedicated World Cup 2026 page with each the latest news, lucifer build-up and unrecorded substance commentary, and support up to day with radical standings, real-time lucifer results and schedules.