Iran waits on U.S. visas ahead of World Cup opener

Iran’s path to the World Cup has run straight into the border regime. Mehdi Taj said the federation was dealing with FIFA, not the United States, to secure visas for a tournament that begins June 11 and now hinges on whether Iran’s players and officials can enter and leave the country in time for three group-stage matches.

Iran’s football federation said on May 14 that the team still had not received U.S. visas. Taj said the squad needed multiple-entry visas because it would have to leave the United States and re-enter for each match. FIFA confirmed on May 25 that Iran’s base camp had been moved from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, a shift that underscored how fragile the logistics had become for a team scheduled to play all of its group games on U.S. soil.

The visa rules are specific, and they are unforgiving. The U.S. State Department says visitors from countries outside the Visa Waiver Program need a valid B1/B2 visa to enter the United States for World Cup travel. It has also created FIFA PASS, a system that lets ticket holders who opt in try to schedule a visa interview, though it does not guarantee approval. Separate guidance says visa-bond requirements will be waived for certain athletes and team members, including coaches and necessary support staff from competing countries.

For Iran, the dispute has gone far beyond paperwork. The country boycotted the December 2025 World Cup draw in Washington after the United States denied visas to members of its delegation, and Iranian officials said the obstacles had moved beyond sports. Iran has had no diplomatic relations with the United States since 1980, and that rupture now shadows a tournament meant to project global unity.

Iran qualified on March 25, 2025, after a 2-2 draw with Uzbekistan in Tehran, sealing its seventh World Cup appearance and fourth in a row. Head coach Amir Ghalenoei has named an initial 30-man squad that includes Mehdi Taremi and Sardar Azmoun. The team’s group schedule is fixed: New Zealand on June 15 in Los Angeles, Belgium on June 21 in Los Angeles, and Egypt on June 26 in Seattle. For Iran, a World Cup berth is no longer the question. Whether the players can cross the visa barrier in time is.