The Football Federation of Iran plans to file an official complaint with FIFA over visa restrictions imposed by the US on the national team during the 2026 World Cup. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Due to visa restrictions and the ongoing conflict, the Iranian team is based in Mexico and is forced to travel to the US only on the days of group stage matches. According to the agency, US authorities require players to enter the country no earlier than 24 hours before the game and leave on the day of the match.
Iran's head coach Amir Ghalenoei said his team is in the most difficult conditions among all tournament participants. "The Football Federation of Iran believes that these restrictions contradict the principles of ensuring equal conditions for participating teams and may affect their technical preparation," the federation's statement said.
The organization noted that the coaching staff planned to arrive in match cities two days before the games to allow players to fully prepare, and return to base only the day after the match. However, before the first match against New Zealand, this request was not granted. According to Ghalenoei, such restrictions negatively affected the team's preparation for the game against New Zealand, which ended in a 2:2 draw.
Neither FIFA nor the US Department of Homeland Security have commented on the situation yet. Iran's next match at the World Cup will be on June 21 against Belgium in Los Angeles, and the final group stage match will be on June 27 against Egypt in Seattle.