Iran’s preparations for the 2026 World Cup have been thrown into disarray after the United States granted visas to only four of 15 federation staff members who had been initially rejected, leaving 11 key personnel — including assistant coaches, medical staff and logistical organisers — unable to travel for the tournament that kicks off on 11 June.
The Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) confirmed on Friday that successful appeals had been lodged for a video analyst, a kit manager, a translator and one of head coach Amir Ghalenoei’s senior assistants. The remaining 11, whose roles span sports science, nutrition, media relations and team security, have exhausted their appeal options and will not accompany the squad to its base in Toronto, where Iran will train before group-stage fixtures in Kansas City, Atlanta and Boston.
Inside the visa standoff
The rejections stem from the U.S. State Department’s enhanced vetting procedures applied to nationals of countries on the restricted travel list, a policy that has tightened since its reintroduction in early 2025. Iran, alongside several other nations, has faced the most stringent scrutiny, with applications routed through consular posts in Dubai and Ankara because the United States and Iran have no direct diplomatic relations.
FIFA, which had publicly assured all 48 participating nations that delegations would be granted entry, intervened on Iran’s behalf in late May. President Gianni Infantino wrote to the U.S. host committee requesting that “sporting personnel essential to a team’s competitive integrity” be treated as a distinct category from general travel applicants. That intervention is believed to have unlocked the four successful appeals, but officials in Tehran say it fell short of the blanket exemption FIFA had promised.
“We are grateful for the four colleagues who will join us, but the loss of 11 members of our technical and operational team is a serious blow,” FFIRI vice-president Mehdi Mohammad Nabi said in a statement carried by the state news agency IRNA. “These are not bureaucrats. They are the people who prepare our players for the biggest tournament of their lives.”
What it means for Iran on the pitch
Ghalenoei’s squad, which qualified top of AFC Group A with seven wins from 10 matches, will now lean on a stripped-back support staff at a tournament where margins are unforgiving. Iran are drawn in Group F alongside Mexico, Egypt and a play-off winner, with their opener scheduled for 17 June at Arrowhead Stadium.
The absent personnel include two of the federation’s three credentialed sports scientists, who had been overseeing recovery protocols since the team’s January camp in Doha. Also blocked are the head of media operations, who manages press conferences and FIFA-mandated mixed-zone obligations, and a senior physiotherapist who has worked with captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh through three knee procedures since 2023.
Iran are expected to request emergency accreditation for replacement staff already based in Europe, including UK-based analyst Saeid Daghigh, who works with Brighton’s academy and has consulted for the national team previously. FIFA regulations permit substitutions to a tournament delegation list up to 48 hours before a team’s first match, but new appointees must clear separate U.S. visa checks — a process the federation concedes is unlikely to be completed in time.
A wider issue for the 48-team tournament
Iran’s case is the most public flashpoint in a series of visa disputes that have shadowed the build-up to the first World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Senegal reported delays for three of their staff in April before resolutions were reached. Tunisia’s federation publicly criticised consular processing times in Tunis last month, and at least two journalists from Algeria’s state broadcaster have been refused accreditation-linked visas.
The U.S. State Department, in a statement issued Thursday, said it had “worked closely with FIFA and the host committee to facilitate the largest sporting event in American history” and noted that more than 11,000 World Cup-related visas had been issued since January. It declined to comment on individual cases, citing privacy provisions.
For Iran, the political backdrop is impossible to ignore. The country’s last appearance on U.S. soil came at the 2003 Pan American Games, and the men’s senior team has never played a competitive fixture in the United States. Their group-stage fixture against Mexico in Atlanta on 22 June will be only the second meeting between the federations since the 1998 World Cup in France.
- Iran open Group F against the European play-off winner in Kansas City on 17 June
- They face Mexico in Atlanta on 22 June and Egypt in Boston on 26 June
- The 11 blocked staff include two sports scientists, the head of media and a senior physiotherapist
- FIFA’s intervention secured visas for a video analyst, kit manager, translator and assistant coach
Ghalenoei will name his 26-man squad on Monday, with goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand and forward Mehdi Taremi confirmed as captains for the campaign. Iran arrive in North America on 8 June.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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