The Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) has accused the United States of “retaliatory behaviour” after 14 principal managers and administrative staff members of the Iranian World Cup contingent were denied entry visas. The Iranian federation has announced it will submit a formal complaint to world football’s governing body, FIFA, asserting that the host nation’s actions compromise sporting equality.
According to Iranian state television networks, the list of rejected applicants features high-ranking executives, including FFIRI General Secretary Hedayat Mombeini and Vice-President Mehdi Mohammad Nabi. The entry status of the federation’s president, Mehdi Taj, remains unconfirmed.
Security Screenings and IRGC Sanctions
The administrative blockade is directly linked to strict US immigration enforcement regarding the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Before leading the national football federation, President Mehdi Taj held institutional ties to the IRGC. US diplomatic directives explicitly mandate that anyone linked to the paramilitary group is restricted from crossing United States borders.
During a US Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the rigorous screening protocols for the incoming delegation, stating:
“We will absolutely not allow a group of people with links to the IRGC, who have no connection to the sporting world, to be inserted into the World Cup delegation.”
While a US official confirmed to ABC News on Friday that visas for all playing members of the Iranian squad had been fully authorised, another official speaking to the Associated Press (AP) under condition of anonymity stated that certain backroom applications were rejected because they were submitted under “false pretences”.
Base Camp Re-allocation and Tournament Fixtures
The Iranian squad established an outdoor training camp in Turkey on 18 May, managing their dual North American visa applications from Ankara. Although FIFA originally selected Arizona as Iran’s official tournament base camp, the training location was moved to Mexico following a direct request from the FFIRI.
The Iranian news outlet Tasnim reported that the 14 barred administrative officials left Turkey alongside the team on Saturday to operate from their temporary base in Mexico, where legal channels will continue to pursue their US entry permits.
Iran has been placed in Group G, meaning they will play their three initial matches across two major cities on the West Coast of the United States. The chronological details of Iran’s group-stage matches are compiled in the table below:
| Date | Tournament Opposition | Venue Region | Host City |
| 15 June 2026 | New Zealand | West Coast Stadium | Los Angeles |
| 21 June 2026 | Belgium | West Coast Stadium | Los Angeles |
| 26 June 2026 | Egypt | Pacific Northwest Venue | Seattle |
Diplomatic Tension in Ankara
The visa row has sparked an open diplomatic argument between the respective foreign embassies in Turkey. The dispute began when the US Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barack, shared a social media message praising his consular staff for processing the Iranian national team’s files.
The Iranian Embassy in Ankara quickly issued a public counter-statement to dismiss the American ambassador’s praise, stating:
“Self-praise cannot obscure conduct that violates FIFA regulations and undermines the obligations of the United States as a host nation. This represents the worst example of politically biased interference in sport.”
Furthermore, an official press release on the FFIRI website stated that the selective withholding of travel documents “effectively deprives the Iranian national team of a non-discriminatory and equal opportunity competition,” forcing the federation to seek formal intervention from FIFA.
