Iran Lashes Out at US Over Visa Denials for World Cup Support Staff

Iran accused the United States of denying visas to key support staff for its World Cup squad, as players left Turkey for Mexico ahead of the June 11 tournament start.

Iran has lashed out at the United States for reportedly refusing visas to some members of its World Cup squad support staff, as the players prepared to travel from Turkey to Mexico for the 2026 tournament.

The visa row emerged just days before the June 11 start of the World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Iranian players, who had been at a training camp in the southern Turkish resort of Antalya since May 18, received their visas late on Friday. US envoy to Turkey Tom Barrack confirmed the development on X, hailing the work of the US embassy in Ankara in processing visas for Iran’s national football team.

However, Iran’s embassy in Turkey responded sharply on Saturday, saying a “large” number of key staff had been denied visas. In a post on X, the embassy criticised the US for not disclosing that visas were denied to managerial and executive staff, technical advisers, and others described as integral to any national football team. The embassy accused the US of escalating “deliberate and discriminatory treatment” against Iran’s national football team.