The Iranian team traveled this Monday to Türkiye to hold its last concentration prior to the 2026 World Cup, although there is still uncertainty because part of the delegation has not received the necessary visas to enter the United States.home of their group stage matches.
The Iranian team will concentrate in the Turkish city of Antalya under the orders of the coach Amir Ghalenoei, who is currently working with a provisional list of 30 players that must be reduced to 26 before the start of the World Cupscheduled for June 11.
The coach expressed his confidence that all players can obtain entry permits before traveling to United States territory.
For his part, the director of the Iranian team, Mehdi Mohammad Nabi assured that the federation is in constant talks with FIFA and hopes that the situation will be resolved in the next two weeks.
“According to the forecasts and the communication we have maintained with FIFA, the issue should be resolved soon,” said the leader.
Iran will debut in the World Cup on June 15 against New Zealand in Los Angeles. They will later face Belgium and Egypt in Group G.
The situation has generated concern due to existing immigration and political restrictions between the United States and Iran. The president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, recently held a meeting in Istanbul with FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström to specifically discuss the issue of visas.
In addition, the Iranian federation officially conditioned its participation in the tournament to compliance with several guarantees related to security, mobility and respect for the symbols of the Islamic Republic, including entry authorization for the entire delegation.
The main problem revolves around possible restrictions for members of the coaching staff or leaders who have had ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, an organization considered terrorist by the US government.
The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, assured weeks ago that there will be no obstacles to the entry of Iranian soccer players, although he left open the possibility of denying visas to some administrative or technical members related to the Revolutionary Guard.
Meanwhile, the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino stated that Iran will be received “with enthusiasm” in North America and described the 2026 World Cup as “the most inclusive sporting event in history.”