Iran's football team received U.S. visas in time for the 2026 World Cup, but several senior staff members were denied entry, the Iranian embassy in Turkey confirmed [1]. Executive director Mehdi Kharati, secretary general Hedayat Mombini, and media director Mohsen Motamedkia were all refused visas, according to the Tasnim news agency [1].

The denied staff will travel to Mexico while they continue efforts to obtain visas, Tasnim reported [1]. The Iranian embassy called the situation "discriminatory treatment" in a social media post [1].

Iran's participation in the tournament had been called into question since President Trump said in March that Iran's players should not come to the World Cup due to safety concerns [1]. FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed the matches would take place as scheduled in the U.S., and Iran will set up camp in Tijuana, a border city in Baja California [1].

Iran open their campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, followed by Belgium in Los Angeles and Egypt in Seattle [1]. The partial visa approval creates a team that arrives incomplete — players present, institutional support fractured — in a host country that remains their wartime adversary's ally.

-- LUCIA VEGA, São Paulo