The United States denied visas to employees of the Iranian national football team on the eve of the 2026 World Cup

Iranian diplomats have called on FIFA to hold the United States accountable for "discrimination and pressure" on the national team of the Islamic Republic (Iran) after refusing to issue visas to staff accompanying athletes at the World Cup. Such an appeal was published by the Iranian Embassy in Turkey on the social network X (former. Twitter).

"You cannot gloss over actions that violate FIFA rules and the obligations of the United States as a host by simply praising yourself. Why don't you say that visas were rejected by a significant part of the coaching and executive staff, technical consultants and others who are an integral part of any national football team?" — the message says.

This statement was a response to the post of the US Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, in which he wrote that he was proud of his team at the American embassy, which issued visas for the Iranian national team.

Iranian diplomats accused their American counterparts of hypocrisy, saying Washington was conducting "the worst possible form of politically biased interference in sports."

"You have raised the deliberate and discriminatory attitude towards the Iranian national football team to the highest level. <...> By spreading its arbitrary hostility towards the Iranian nation in the field of sports, the US government is in practice depriving the Iranian national team of the right to play at the World Cup under normal conditions and without excessive pressure and stress," the Iranian embassy writes.

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On May 16, Reuters reported that FIFA Secretary General Matthias Grafstrom will hold a meeting in Istanbul with representatives of the Iranian Football Federation on the participation of the national team in the World Cup. In the group stage, Iran's national team is scheduled to play against New Zealand and Belgium in Inglewood, California, and also face Egypt in Seattle.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced at the organization's congress in Vancouver, Canada, on April 30 that the Iranian national football team will participate in the 2026 World Cup and will play its matches in the United States.