TEHRAN, Iran: Iran’s national football team took off from Turkiye for Mexico on Saturday to participate in this year’s FIFA World Cup, Iranian state television reported, after its players were granted US visas late the night before.
The team left after completing a 15-day training camp in Turkiye, state TV said.
The national team “took off this evening for Mexico to participate in the World Cup after a 15-day training period” in Turkiye, Iranian state TV reported. “The national team will arrive in Tijuana after a 20-hour flight.”
Iranian players were granted US visas late on Friday night, allowing them to compete in the tournament hosted across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
US Ambassador to Turkiye Tom Barrack confirmed the visa issuance on Friday.
A US administration official also confirmed the development in a separate statement issued by the State Department.
Barrack said he was “proud” of the US embassy team in Ankara for processing the visas for Iran’s squad.
“Sports transcends borders, and we look forward to welcoming competitors and fans from around the world,” he said, referring to a news report confirming the approvals.
Proud of our outstanding team at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara for their work processing visas for Iran’s national football team on their road to the @FIFAWorldCup in the United States.
Sports transcends borders, and we look forward to welcoming competitors and fans from around the… https://t.co/KpFUCFcvZV
— Ambassador Tom Barrack (@USAMBTurkiye) June 5, 2026
According to Iranian state media, the team will travel via multiple legs, including a stop in Spain, before reaching their base camp in Mexico. The squad is expected to arrive in Mexico on Sunday.
Iran will be based in Mexico for the duration of the tournament in North America. However, all of their group-stage matches are scheduled to take place in the United States.
The team had initially been expected to base themselves in the United States, but later shifted their training camp to Mexico amid tensions between Tehran and Washington following a conflict that began on February 28 involving US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Iran will open their World Cup campaign against New Zealand on June 16 in Los Angeles.
They are scheduled to face Belgium in Los Angeles and Egypt in Seattle in their remaining group-stage matches.
