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Iran soccer players hold school bags
Iran has asked football’s governing body, FIFA, to clarify when tournament visas will be issued following the relocation of their World Cup training camp from Arizona to Tijuana.
The relocation followed diplomatic friction and visa complications, with Iran now requiring cross-border clearance for their Group G matches against New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt in Los Angeles and Seattle.
Iran Football Federation first vice president, Mehdi Mohammad Nabi, says Iran had written to FIFA seeking a firm answer after earlier applying for visas.
“Look, we sent an email to FIFA today and asked them to announce the result as soon as possible, to say on what day the visas will be issued, because we now need both multiple-entry Mexican visas and multiple-entry US visas. Based on the latest conversation we had, they replied that the administrative process will most likely be completed this week.”
Iran is scheduled to play all three of their group matches in the United States, but the team’s participation in the tournament has been in question since the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February 2026.
