Sahin Demir
02 June 2026•Update: 02 June 2026
Iran expects visas for its national football team players to travel to Mexico ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be issued by late Tuesday or Wednesday morning, a senior football official said.
“We expect the visas for Iran’s national team players to be issued tonight or tomorrow morning,” Amir Mehdi Alavi, spokesperson for the Iranian Football Federation, told Iranian state media on Tuesday.
Alavi said the national team and coaching staff were highly motivated and well-prepared for the World Cup.
He added that members of the federation’s executive board, who had previously decided not to accompany the team to the United States as a cost-saving measure, would also not travel with the squad to Mexico.
According to Alavi, Iran’s national team delegation is scheduled to depart for the Mexican city of Tijuana on Saturday, June 6.
The visa issue has emerged as one of the main concerns for Iran ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
Iran Football Federation President Mehdi Taj said last week that the timely issuance of visas remained one of the federation’s top priorities.
“The visa issue is currently one of the most important matters. FIFA must resolve the issuance process so visas are issued on time and team members and companions can travel without problems,” Taj said, according to Iranian media.
Iran recently shifted its pre-World Cup training camp from the United States to Mexico, where the team is expected to stay before traveling to its tournament matches.
Members of the Iranian squad last week traveled from their training camp in the Turkish resort city of Antalya to Ankara to apply for US visas at the American Embassy ahead of the tournament. Federation officials have said visa procedures for Canada are also being pursued separately.
The team has been holding a training camp in Antalya since May 19 as part of its preparations for the World Cup.
