Iran Set For Spain Stopover As Visa Delays Disrupt World Cup Plans

Iran’s national football team will travel to Spain this weekend en route to their World Cup training base in Mexico despite still awaiting travel visas, according to Football Federation President Mehdi Taj.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, but Iran are yet to receive entry clearance from either the United States, where they will play their group-stage matches, or Mexico, where the squad will be based during the tournament.

Speaking on a state television sports programme on Monday, Taj expressed confidence that the visa issues would soon be resolved.

“We will leave for Spain on Saturday, and from there the team will go directly to Tijuana in Mexico,” Taj said.

“We will obtain a Mexican visa tomorrow or the day after, and then a US visa will be issued quickly.”

Iran, drawn in Group G, will open their campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on 15 June before facing Belgium at the same venue on 21 June. Their final group match will be against Egypt in Seattle on 26 June.

Taj admitted that Iran’s World Cup preparations had been severely affected by the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East following the February 28 attacks involving the United States and Israel.

“The situation in the country, and especially the war, has upended all our plans,” he said.

According to Taj, the unrest forced the cancellation of several planned warm-up fixtures, including a high-profile friendly against Spain.

The federation also relocated the team’s World Cup base from Tucson, Arizona, to the Mexican border city of Tijuana amid security and political concerns linked to the regional crisis.

Iran are currently training in Turkey, where they defeated Gambia 3-1 in a friendly in Antalya on Friday and are scheduled to face Mali in another preparatory match on Thursday.

Taj further revealed that financial constraints caused by the country’s economic difficulties and the sharp decline of the rial against the US dollar had complicated preparations.

Despite the challenges, Team Melli remain focused on mounting a competitive World Cup campaign.

المصدر: Leadership (Nigeria)