As the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada draws near, Iran’s national men’s football team has embarked on the first leg of its journey to the tournament, departing for the Turkish coastal city of Antalya on Monday, according to local Iranian media reports. The trip is designed to serve two key purposes: finalize pre-tournament preparation through warm-up friendly matches, and complete long-delayed visa applications required to enter the U.S. for the global competition.
The 22-player squad, all currently based at domestic Iranian clubs, traveled alongside full coaching staff, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency confirmed. While in Antalya, the team is scheduled to hold at least two friendly matches, with a fixture against The Gambia already locked in for May 29, per Sam Mehdizadeh, an Iranian-Canadian sports executive who arranges exhibition matches for the Iranian national side.
Uncertainty has loomed over Iran’s participation for months, even after the team secured its place in the 48-nation tournament back in March 2025. The tension stems from a sharp escalation in hostilities between the U.S.-Israeli alliance and Iran dating back to February 28, when Washington launched a large-scale wave of offensive attacks against Tehran in what amounted to an open state of conflict. A ceasefire has paused active fighting for several weeks, but recent events have reignited fears of a return to violence: fresh drone strikes targeting Gulf nations over the weekend, paired with new inflammatory rhetoric from U.S. President Donald Trump, have further destabilized the already fragile security environment.
Despite the geopolitical rift, top U.S. officials have repeatedly stated that Iranian players are welcome to compete in the tournament. FIFA has also reaffirmed that Iran’s participation will proceed as planned, rejecting a request from Iranian football authorities to relocate the team’s group stage matches to co-hosts Mexico or Canada. President Trump even publicly voiced support in late April, saying “I think let ‘em play.”
Still, significant bureaucratic hurdles remain. As of this week, no U.S. visas have been issued to the Iranian delegation, Iranian Football Federation chief Mehdi Taj confirmed to local media Thursday. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has already signaled that complications could arise for non-playing members of the delegation, noting that potential issues center on figures the U.S. suspects of ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which Washington has formally designated a terrorist organization. Taj himself is a former IRGC member, a designation that has already created friction: last month, the entire Iranian federation delegation abandoned a planned trip to the FIFA Congress in Canada after what they described as degrading treatment from Canadian immigration officials, who flagged Taj’s ties to the IRGC, which Canada also lists as a terrorist group.
Over the weekend, FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom held a high-stakes meeting with Iranian federation representatives in Turkey to work through outstanding logistics. Both sides characterized the discussion as constructive, offering a small glimmer of progress amid the ongoing uncertainty. If the delegation secures the required visas in time, Iran will set up its official pre-tournament base camp in Tucson, Arizona. The team is drawn into Group G, with its opening group stage match scheduled for June 15 against New Zealand in Los Angeles, followed by a second fixture against Belgium also in Los Angeles, and a final group game against Egypt in Seattle.
The team held an official send-off ceremony in Tehran last week, but even as players depart for preparation, questions about whether they will ultimately be allowed to step onto the pitch at the World Cup continue to hang over the campaign.