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Iran Football Team Seeks US Visas in Turkey for World Cup
In this handout picture provided by the Iranian presidency, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian (C-L) poses for a group photo with players of the Iranian national football team during a farewell ceremony for them before their departure for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, in Tehran on May 13, 2026. Photo: AFP Iran’s national football team was headed to Turkey on Monday to play a final friendly match and apply for visas to fly to the United States for the 2026 World Cup, Iranian media reported. The team plan to participate in the tournament despite co-host Washington having launched a war against Iran with a massive wave of attacks alongside ally Israel on February 28. The fighting has been on hold for weeks thanks to a ceasefire, but peace talks have failed to make a breakthrough and new drone attacks against Gulf countries at the weekend combined with threats from US President Donald Trump raising fears of a return to fighting. The team “departed this morning for Antalya, Turkey to play its final friendly match before flying to the United States for the 2026 World Cup,” the Tasnim news agency reported. It said the squad consisted of 22 domestic-based players alongside their coaching staff. On Saturday, head coach Amir Ghalenoei said they would also be completing visa applications for the US while in Turkey. – ‘Let ’em play’ – Iran secured their spot at the World Cup in March 2025, but since then the United States has twice launched attacks on the country. US officials have insisted that Iran is welcome at the tournament, while organiser FIFA has said it will go ahead as planned and rejected Iranian suggestions that their games be moved to co-hosts Mexico or Canada. “I think let ’em play,” Trump said in late April. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any problem would not be with Iranian players but “some of the other people (they) would want to bring with them”, suggesting they may have ties to the Revolutionary Guards, which Washington has branded a terrorist organisation. Related News World Cup 2030: UEFA, FIFA plan Champions League-style qualification format Oliseh hails Arteta after Arsenal title win Nigeria football: A proud history, a broken present Last month, officials from Iran’s football federation abandoned a trip to the FIFA congress in Canada, saying they had been “insulted” by Canadian immigration officers. One of their delegation, Mehdi Taj, is a former member of the Revolutionary Guards, which Canada has also designated a terror group. The Iran...
Iran players apply for U.S., Canada visas in Turkey ahead of World Cup
Iran's national soccer team attended visa appointments in the Turkish capital Ankara on Thursday ahead of the 2026 World Cup, with the whole squad applying for Canadian visas and some players ...
Iran Squad Apply for US and Canada Visas for 2026 World Cup
Iran's national team is doing their World Cup prep in embassy waiting rooms as much as on the training pitch. The entire squad attended visa appointments in Ankara on Thursday — Canadian visas for all, U.S. visas for those who hadn't already applied before the Iran war began.It's a logistical tangle that has no real parallel at this tournament. Iran are scheduled to play all three group-stage matches on U.S. soil — New Zealand on June 15 in Los Angeles, Belgium on June 21 in Los Angeles, then Egypt in Seattle on June 26. The Canadian visas are contingent on actually surviving that group, but with the geopolitical backdrop, securing them now makes sense.Seven weeks without competitive footballThe visa queues are only part of the problem. Iran's domestic league was suspended after U.S. and Israeli strikes on the country began on February 28, meaning most home-based players went seven weeks without a competitive match. Coach Amir Ghalenoei is now running a pre-tournament camp in Antalya, Turkey, attempting to rebuild sharpness from scratch ahead of a World Cup that kicks off in weeks.That's not a minor inconvenience — it's a real fitness deficit going into a tournament where Belgium in the group is already a stern test. Iran qualified comfortably for the expanded 48-team World Cup, but a squad short on match minutes is a different proposition from one hitting form at the right time. Their odds of making the knockout rounds deserve another look given the circumstances.Some foreign-based players joined the squad in Ankara before the group moved south to Antalya's Mediterranean coast, which at least gives Ghalenoei a core of players who've been playing regularly. How quickly he can integrate them with domestic players who've been idle is the real question.The friendly before the deadlineIran play Gambia in a friendly on May 29 before Ghalenoei must submit his final 26-man squad by FIFA's June 1 deadline. One match to sort out combinations, shake off rust, and make difficult calls on players who've had their preparation disrupted through no fault of their own.FIFA brokered the arrangement for U.S. visa applications to be handled in Turkey — a workaround that technically functions, even if the broader situation surrounding Iran's participation in this tournament remains unlike anything a World Cup has dealt with before. Author Last updated: May 2026
Iran World Cup squad members apply for US, Canada visas in Turkiye
A number of players submitted visa applications in person at the US embassy in Ankara ahead of their training camp.Iran’s football team have attended visa appointments in Turkiye ahead of the World Cup, with the whole squad applying for Canadian visas and some players also submitting applications for entry into the United States.A number of players submitted applications in the Turkish capital Ankara on Thursday, an Iranian football federation official told Reuters news agency.The whole squad attended appointments for Canadian visas, while some players who had not applied for American visas before the US and Israel attacked Iran in February also submitted their visa applications in person at the embassy.Some foreign-based Iranian players joined the squad in Ankara before later travelling to the team’s training camp in Antalya on Turkiye’s Mediterranean coast, the official said.The players and delegation members submitted US visa applications in the Turkish capital [Adem Altan/AFP]The World Cup will be cohosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, with Iran due to play all three of their group-stage matches on the US West Coast.Iran are scheduled to face New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 in Los Angeles before taking on Egypt in Seattle five days later. They would require access to Canada if they progress to the knockout rounds.Iran is holding a pre-tournament camp in Turkiye following the suspension of the Iranian domestic league in March, leaving many players short of match fitness.The team trained in Antalya earlier this week as coach Amir Ghalenoei attempted to prepare his squad after most domestic-based players went seven weeks without competitive football during the suspension of the Iranian league.Iran qualified early for the expanded 48-team World Cup, but preparations have been overshadowed by uncertainty over travel and security arrangements following the US-Israeli war on Iran.Iran’s football federation had previously said US visa applications for the team would be handled in Turkiye after discussions with FIFA.Iran are due to play Gambia in a friendly on May 29 before Ghalenoei names his final 26-man World Cup squad by FIFA’s June 1 deadline.
