Iran Football Federation President Denied Visa; Only 4 Officials Granted Entry

The United States has granted entry visas to only four officials from the Iranian national team participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The British public broadcaster BBC reported today (June 14) that out of 15 Iranian delegation members who were initially denied visas, 10 reapplied after arriving at their training camp in Mexico. Of those, only four—two staff members from the Iran Football Federation's international department and one performance analyst—were granted entry.
Six individuals who submitted new applications, including Iran Football Federation President Mehdi Taj, were all rejected, while one media officer did not reapply at all.
The U.S., which is currently at war with Iran, has faced criticism for allowing only the players to enter the country while denying visas to key members of the delegation.
Iran, placed in Group G, is scheduled to play all three of its group stage matches in the U.S.: against New Zealand on the 16th and Belgium on the 22nd (both in Los Angeles), and Egypt on the 27th (in Seattle).
Iran had originally planned to set up its base camp in Tucson, Arizona, but due to the ongoing war with the U.S., the team has been training in Tijuana, Mexico, near the California border.
Furthermore, under strict U.S. residency restrictions, the Iranian team must repeatedly travel back and forth between Tijuana and the U.S., returning to Mexico immediately after each match.
In addition to the Iranian delegation, the U.S. also denied entry to Somali football referee Omar Artan, citing "suspected ties to members of a terrorist organization."
With football officials repeatedly unable to set foot on U.S. soil, FIFA, the governing body of the tournament, has effectively remained passive.
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter emphasized on his social media account, "The World Cup must guarantee two fundamental principles: the safety of participating nations and the unrestricted entry of teams, officials, and referees." He added, "The case of referee Artan goes against these FIFA obligations, and FIFA must never undermine the universality of football."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.