The Iranian team took a roundabout route to the United States.

The Iranian team still lacks visas to enter the United States, but the Asian representatives remain determined to participate in the 2026 World Cup at all costs.

"The Iranian team has not had a smooth journey. Their preparations have been interrupted, and they now have to fly to Spain on June 6th, before heading to Mexico, where they will set up a training camp in Tijuana for the duration of the 2026 World Cup," AFP reported on June 3rd.

The Iranian national team is currently training in Türkiye.

PHOTO: AFP

According to Mehdi Taj, President of the Football Federation of Iran (FFIRI): "We have to take a roundabout route to the World Cup. We are not giving up. We will apply for visas to Mexico this week, and then hopefully visas to the US will also be granted with support from FIFA." The Iranian national team has repeatedly changed its preparations for the 2026 World Cup due to the impact of the current Middle East conflict. Originally, the Iranian team was scheduled to be based in Tucson, Arizona, USA; but on May 20th, FFIRI officials requested FIFA to allow them to move their base from the US to Mexico for security reasons. FIFA ultimately accepted this request, while the proposal to move all of Iran's group stage matches from the US to Mexico was rejected from the start.

At the 2026 World Cup, the Iranian national team is in Group G along with New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt. They will play their opening match against New Zealand at 8:00 AM on June 16th, followed by a match against Belgium at 2:00 AM on June 22nd (both at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles). Their final match will be against Egypt at 10:00 AM on June 27th (all times are Vietnam time) at Lumen Field in Seattle, USA. Notably, if they advance to the Round of 32, Iran could potentially face the USA in Dallas on July 4th, provided both teams finish second in their respective groups.

Choosing to base their training camp in Mexico also means the Iranian team will enter and exit the United States multiple times, with players traveling in and out on the same day. The biggest problem for the Iranian team is that the plan for multiple-entry US visas has not yet been approved. The FFIRI president stated: "We still have hope in FIFA; we expect them to facilitate our visa application process so that the players can enter and return to Mexico multiple times."

The Iranian national team is currently training in Antalya (Türkiye), having just won a friendly match against Gambia 3-1. The official 26-player squad for the 2026 World Cup was also announced this week. The most notable absence is striker Sardar Azmoun, the third-highest goalscorer in the history of the Iranian national team. The rest of the squad includes top stars such as goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh, and striker Mehdi Taremi.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-iran-di-duong-vong-den-nuoc-my-185260603211454829.htm