Iran departs Türkiye for World Cup base in Mexico amid US visa issues

Iran’s national football team departed Türkiye for Mexico on Saturday after completing a 15-day training camp in Antalya ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while visa issues affecting several members of the delegation remain unresolved, according to Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB.

The team left Türkiye on Saturday afternoon and is expected to arrive in the Mexican border city of Tijuana after a journey of approximately 20 hours.

According to IRIB, 15 members of the team’s administrative and management staff have not yet received US visas. However, all delegation members who obtained Mexican visas traveled to Mexico as scheduled.

The broadcaster said efforts to secure visas for the remaining personnel are continuing and that the issue is being pursued by both the Iranian Football Federation and FIFA. Follow-up efforts are also expected to continue in Mexico.

All players and coaching staff have received US visas and face no issues regarding travel to the United States, IRIB added.

The visa issue has emerged as one of the main concerns for Iran ahead of the tournament. Although the team is expected to be based in Tijuana, all three of its Group G matches are scheduled to be played in the United States.

Iran has been holding a pre-World Cup training camp in Antalya since May 19 as part of its final preparations for the tournament, which is being jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

On Friday, Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that several technical and administrative members of the national team had yet to receive US visas, despite Iranian players having already been granted entry permits ahead of their opening match in Los Angeles.