Iran’s US-bound World Cup squad given public sendoff in Tehran

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Thousands of radical cheered Team Melli arsenic Iran’s World Cup kit was unveiled earlier the team’s grooming campy successful Turkiye.

Published On 14 May 2026

Iran hosted a departure rally for its FIFA World Cup squad, witnessed by thousands of fans successful Tehran’s Enqelab Square, amid concerns astir ⁠the team travelling to the United States to compete.

The players were cheered ⁠by the assemblage arsenic they made patriotic statements from a signifier connected Wednesday.

Iran’s World Cup 2026 kit was besides unveiled astatine the event, pursuing which the squad volition question to Turkiye to proceed their preparations astatine a grooming camp.

“This is the champion sendoff successful the ⁠last 4 World Cup campaigns,” Mehdi Taj, president of the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI), told authorities TV.

“The players are with the people, and the assemblage stands with the country’s dignity, honour, and strength. Whatever the result, whitethorn Iran’s emblem beryllium raised determination and defended.”

Iran’s information successful the World Cup has been successful question since the US and ‌Israel attacked Iran, starting a determination warfare connected February 28.

People stitchery to be the farewell ceremonial of Iran's nationalist shot squad up of their departure for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, successful Tehran connected May 13, 2026. The president of the Iranian Football Federation said precocious May 9 that if Iran dropped retired of the World Cup, it would deprive the state of a "major diplomatic asset". World football's governing assemblage FIFA has insisted for weeks that Iran volition instrumentality part. Iran, who are owed to beryllium based successful Tucson, Arizona, during the World Cup, look New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt successful Group G. The Iranians unfastened their World Cup run against New Zealand successful Los Angeles connected June 15. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) /

An FFIRI delegation, led by Taj, turned backmost astatine Toronto’s main airport, citing their attraction by Canadian immigration, and missed a pre-World Cup FIFA gathering successful Vancouver. They alleged “unacceptable behaviour of migration officials” contempt holding valid visas.

In 2024, Canada listed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps arsenic a violent organisation, and statements from the Canadian authorities indicated that Taj was denied introduction owed to his alleged ties with the IRGC.

The incidental triggered fears determination whitethorn beryllium issues for immoderate of the Iranian delegation getting into the US.

As successful Canada, the IRGC is classified arsenic a “terrorist entity” successful the US, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said nary 1 with ties to ⁠the organisation would beryllium admitted to the country.

Iran has placed responsibility for ⁠getting the players and squad officials into the US, wherever Team Melli are scheduled to play each 3 World Cup radical matches, firmly successful the hands of FIFA.

“Nothing has arrived yet regarding the visas. We anticipation it volition decidedly ⁠be handled wrong this timeframe,” Hedayat Mombeini, FFIRI secretary-general, told authorities TV astatine the rally.

“FIFA has made promises, and hopefully those promises ⁠will pb to results, and the players volition person their ⁠visas connected time.”

Iran ‌will play The Gambia successful a World Cup warm-up successful Antalya connected May 29. Mombeini said the FFIRI was successful the process of arranging different affable for the grooming campy successful Turkiye.

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