Iran’s national football team has arrived in Mexico ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as a diplomatic dispute over US visas threatens to overshadow the country’s participation in the tournament. The Iranian squad landed in Tijuana early Sunday morning after completing a three-week training camp in Antalya, Türkiye. The team will use the Mexican border city as its base throughout the tournament despite playing all of its Group G matches in the United States. The decision to relocate the team’s base camp from Arizona to Mexico came after uncertainty surrounding the issuance of US visas. Although

Iran’s national football team has arrived in Mexico ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as a diplomatic dispute over US visas threatens to overshadow the country’s participation in the tournament.

The Iranian squad landed in Tijuana early Sunday morning after completing a three-week training camp in Antalya, Türkiye. The team will use the Mexican border city as its base throughout the tournament despite playing all of its Group G matches in the United States.

The decision to relocate the team’s base camp from Arizona to Mexico came after uncertainty surrounding the issuance of US visas. Although all Iranian players were eventually granted entry visas just days before the tournament begins, several members of the delegation reportedly remain unable to travel to the United States.

According to Iran’s Football Federation and diplomatic officials, at least 15 administrative and management staff members, including key officials, were denied visas. The development has sparked criticism from Iranian authorities, who accuse Washington of interfering in sporting affairs.

Iran’s embassy in Türkiye condemned the decision, describing it as discriminatory treatment against the national team and calling on FIFA to investigate the matter. The federation also labelled the move “political interference in sport in its worst form.”

The visa dispute comes at a sensitive time, with the United States serving as one of the hosts of the 2026 World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada. The tournament will mark the first time a World Cup host nation welcomes the team of a country with which it is engaged in direct military conflict.

Adding to the confusion, Iranian officials have provided conflicting accounts regarding the conditions attached to the team’s US visas. Iran’s ambassador to Mexico suggested the squad would be required to enter and leave the United States on the same day as each match, while team spokesman Amir Mahdi Alavi stated that players had received multiple-entry visas allowing them to travel before and after games.

US officials defended the visa process, confirming that all athletes and essential support personnel had received the documentation required to compete. However, American authorities also expressed security concerns, stating they would not allow individuals deemed a threat to enter the country under the guise of participating in the tournament.

The controversy follows earlier remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who indicated that concerns were focused not on the players themselves but on certain accompanying officials alleged to have links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an organization designated by the United States as a terrorist group.

Despite the political tensions, Iran is now focused on its World Cup campaign. Drawn in Group G, the team will begin its tournament against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15 before facing Belgium on June 21. Iran will conclude the group stage against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

As the World Cup approaches, Iran hopes attention will shift from diplomatic disputes to football, but the visa controversy has already become one of the tournament’s most significant off-field stories.

A little more informed. A little more connected.