Iran's World Cup participation hangs on US visa dispute over IRGC-linked staff

Iran’s World Cup campaign is under serious threat after US authorities refused to grant visas to members of the national team’s staff with links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), leaving the country’s Football Federation (FFIRI) president warning that Iran may withdraw from the tournament entirely.

The squad will depart Turkey for their Tijuana training base on Saturday after securing Mexican visas, but the status of their three group-stage fixtures on US soil remains unresolved. FFIRI president Mehdi Taj, who was himself denied entry into Canada for the Fifa Congress in late April due to his IRGC connections, said the federation had put Fifa on notice. “Whatever is supposed to happen will become clear today. We’ve told Fifa that if they do not issue visas for the players or the technical team and others, it is possible that we will take other decisions,” Taj was quoted as saying by Fars News Agency.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday there was “no problem” with Iranian players entering the country, but confirmed Washington would block any officials or staff affiliated with the IRGC. Both the United States and Canada — the tournament’s co-hosts — designate the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.

Iran were originally set to base themselves in Arizona, but Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum stepped in to offer Tijuana after US authorities reportedly expressed reluctance about hosting the squad on American soil during the tournament period.

The team arrived in Tijuana with some positive momentum, having beaten Mali 2-0 in a friendly in Antalya on Friday. Goals from Saeid Ezatolahi and Ramin Rezaeian gave Iran a record of three wins and one defeat from four warm-up matches. Those friendlies have been the only competitive football available to Iran-based players since the domestic league was suspended following US and Israeli air strikes on the country in late February, which triggered a wider regional conflict.

Iran’s group-stage schedule has them opening against New Zealand on 15 June, before facing Belgium and then Egypt in Seattle. All three matches are to be played in the United States, meaning the visa impasse directly threatens their ability to compete in any of them. With the opening fixture less than three weeks away, Taj’s comments suggest the federation is running out of patience for a diplomatic resolution.