FIFA World Cup 2026: Iran slams US over ‘discriminatory’ denial of visas to 15 football officials

4 min readUpdated: Jun 7, 2026 10:33 AM IST

Iran's players pose for a group photo with fans in Antalya, southern Turkey, before departing to Tijuana, Mexico, for the World Cup soccer tournament. The board reads in Turkish: "The peoples of Turkey and Iran are marching together toward victory". (AP Photo)

Iran has slammed FIFA World Cup co-host the United States over “discriminatory treatment” after the latter refused to grant visas to about 15 officials of its national team’s delegation to attend the tournament, The Guardian reported.

Iran has alleged that 15 of its administration officials, including executive director Mehdi Kharati, secretary general of the football federation Hedayat Mombini, and media director Mohsen Motamedkia have been denied entry to the US.

The move came hours after Washington confirmed Iranian players had been granted permission to travel to the upcoming soccer tournament, amid an escalating war between the two countries.

Iran’s allegations

The Iranian embassy in Turkey has accused the US of unleashing the “worst possible form of politically biased interference in sport” by denying visas to a “large portion of the managerial and executive staff” and “technical advisers”.

Taking to X, the embassy wrote: “You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran’s national football team to its highest level. By extending your whimsical hostilities against the Iranian nation into the realm of sport, the US government in practice is depriving Iran’s national team of its right to play in the World Cup under normal conditions and without undue pressure and stress.”

You cannot whitewash conduct that violates FIFA regulations and breaches the United States’ host obligations merely by praising yourselves.

Why do you not say that visas were denied to a large portion of the managerial and executive staff, technical advisers, and others who are… https://t.co/AoEvfphxmH

— Iran Embassy in Türkiye (@Iran_in_Turkiye) June 6, 2026

It also demanded that FIFA hold the US accountable for the discriminatory treatment of Iranian administrative officials and the violation of its terms.

US’s security approach

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According to US officials quoted by the BBC, visas were issued to all players and “necessary support staff” on Friday.

At the same time, these officials asserted that Iran would not be allowed to “abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretences”.

Earlier this week, too, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, told lawmakers that the US would not allow Iran to include in their World Cup delegation individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a group that is fighting the war against the US from the front. Several players of the Iranian national team have completed mandatory military service with the IRGC.

Moreover, while the US Department of Homeland Security did not explicitly introduce any restrictions on members of Iran’s team and its delegation during their time in the US, it told the BBC in a statement that DHS is “steadfast in our commitment to the safety and security of the American people and attendees of the 2026 FIFA World Cup”.

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The agency also stated they are “intricately involved in the whole of government approach securing the 11 host city sites across the nation, including Los Angeles”.

Next steps for Iran

With Iran set for an opening fixture against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, staff members now without visas would travel from Turkey to Mexico with the team while efforts to obtain them continue, Iran’s news agency Tasnim reported.

The team is expected to land in Mexico’s Tijuana in the early hours of Sunday, taking a 20-hour flight, according to The Guardian.

They will now have to enter and leave the US on the same day as their matches, Iran’s ambassador to Mexico has stated.

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The Iranian team will face Belgium on June 21 and take on Egypt in Seattle on June 26, according to reports.

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FIFA World Cup 2026

Iran War