Iran’s football team attended visa interviews in the Turkish capital, Ankara, this Thursday (21), ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The entire squad applied for Canadian visas and some players who had not yet entered also submitted visa applications for the United States.
The World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, and Iran will play all three of its group stage matches in the United States.
Iran will face New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 in Los Angeles, before playing Egypt in Seattle five days later. The team will need access to Canada if they advance to the round of 16.
The entire squad attended interviews for Canadian visas, while some players who had not applied for American visas before the war in Iran also submitted applications in Ankara, an Iranian federation official said.
Players playing abroad joined the squad in Ankara before traveling to the team’s training center in Antalya, on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, the official said.
Iran is carrying out a pre-tournament training period in Turkey after the suspension of the Iranian national championship due to attacks by the United States and Israel on the country, which began on February 28, leaving many players without match rhythm.
The team trained in Antalya earlier this week as coach Amir Ghalenoei tried to prepare his squad as most of the country’s players were without competitive football for seven weeks during the suspension of the league.
Iran qualified early for the expanded 48-team World Cup, but preparations have been hampered by uncertainty surrounding travel and security protocols following the conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel.
The Iranian federation had previously informed that American visa applications would be processed in Türkiye after talks with FIFA (International Football Federation).
Iran have a friendly against Gambia scheduled on May 29, before Ghalenoei announces the final 26-man World Cup squad by FIFA’s June 1 deadline.
