Iran's national football team has obtained entry visas for Mexico, where it plans to set up its base camp for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, but has yet to receive US visas to play its main-round matches.
Mohammad Hassan Habibollahzadeh, Iran's ambassador to Türkiye, said on Iranian state television on Tuesday that "entry visas for all Iranian national football team players were issued through the Mexican embassy within 48 hours." He added that the process was handled swiftly "without players having to visit in person or undergo fingerprinting procedures."
Iran will play all three of its World Cup group-stage matches in Inglewood, near Los Angeles, and in Seattle.
The Iranian team had originally planned to set up its World Cup base camp in Tucson, Arizona, but switched to Mexico due to diplomatic tensions and visa issues.
With the Mexican visas now secured, the Iranian team will be able to train in Mexico and other locations. However, with US entry visas for match play yet to be issued, preparations for the World Cup main round — less than two weeks away — have been disrupted.
The US side is currently not cooperative at all in resolving Iran's visa issue.
According to Al Jazeera, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that "the United States will never allow individuals affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who have nothing to do with sports, to join the Iranian national team," adding that "we will monitor this very closely."
While saying that "the entry of pure players and support staff is not an issue," Rubio made clear his policy of strict visa screening for the Iranian team.
Iran's captain and forward Mehdi Taremi (Olympiacos) and defender Ehsan Hajsafi (Sepahan) have completed mandatory service in the IRGC, leaving open the possibility that their entry could be denied.
Iranian men aged 18 and over are reportedly assigned to either the regular military or the IRGC through a random lottery upon enlistment.
Iran will play its final friendly match against Mali in Antalya, Türkiye, on Wednesday before traveling to Mexico.
