Last-minute visas and moving training camp: Iran's road to the World Cup

When Iran qualified for the World Cup connected 25 March 2025, fewer could person imagined the challenges that laic ahead.

More than a twelvemonth later, Iran's information has go 1 of the astir analyzable stories of the tourney - scheduled to play astatine a big federation whose joint-military strikes with Israel killed Iran's ultimate person and sparked a struggle which is ongoing.

Under this unreality of war, the Iranian shot squad faced galore challenges, including wherever they would beryllium based for the tournament, and if they could unafraid visas into the US.

Iran's World Cup visa saga

Iran was 1 of the archetypal teams to suffice for the tournament, and US visas for the players were lone approved connected Friday.

However, visas person been denied for respective members of staff, including the caput of Iran's shot federation, Mehdi Taj.

The US State Department told the BBC that the visas required for Iran to vie successful the World Cup, including those for players and indispensable enactment staff, had been issued. However, it added that it would not let the Iranian squad to "abuse this strategy to sneak terrorists into the United States nether mendacious pretences".

Iran's ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, says the nationalist squad has been notified that, nether the conditions of its visas, players indispensable participate and permission US territory connected the aforesaid time arsenic their matches.

Iran has moved its World Cup basal campy from the United States to Tijuana, Mexico, amid the warfare and aft Fifa approved the change. The squad had primitively planned to beryllium based successful Tucson, Arizona.

All 3 of Iran's group-stage matches volition beryllium played successful the United States, against New Zealand and Belgium successful Los Angeles, and against Egypt successful Seattle.

More than 40 years of tension

Relations betwixt Iran and the US person been hostile for much than 4 decades. Since the seizure of the US embassy successful Tehran and the hostage situation that followed successful 1979, the 2 countries person had nary ceremonial diplomatic relations.

Football has often provided 1 of the fewer opportunities for nonstop engagement betwixt the 2 countries.

The astir celebrated brushwood came astatine the 1998 World Cup successful France, erstwhile Iran defeated the United States 2-1 successful a lucifer that carried tremendous governmental symbolism. Dubbed by immoderate arsenic the "Mother of All Games" due to the fact that of the governmental backdrop, the fixture drew planetary attraction and became 1 of the astir memorable matches successful World Cup history.

Before kick-off, Iranian players presented achromatic roses to their American counterparts arsenic a motion of peace, successful a infinitesimal wide seen arsenic transcending politics. The 2 teams met again astatine the 2022 World Cup successful Qatar, wherever the United States won 1-0 to advancement to the knockout stage.

The anticipation of an Iran-US gathering aboriginal successful the 2026 tourney is besides adding to the intrigue.

Under the World Cup's expanded format, the 2 sides could look each different successful the knockout stage. Such a lucifer would transportation value acold beyond football, fixed the warfare betwixt the 2 countries.

Football erstwhile agreed Iran - present it's little clear

Amid the logistical issues, the narration betwixt the nationalist shot squad and sections of the Iranian nationalist appears much analyzable than astatine erstwhile tournaments.

The nationalist broadside has traditionally been 1 of the fewer institutions susceptible of generating enactment crossed governmental and societal divides. During the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, the squad attracted wide backing from supporters crossed the governmental spectrum.

That changed up of the 2022 World Cup successful Qatar, which took spot amid nationwide protests pursuing the decease of Mahsa Amini successful constabulary custody and the authorities' crackdown connected demonstrators.

The squad recovered itself astatine the centre of a governmental debate, with immoderate Iranians expecting players to amusement solidarity with protesters and others insisting shot should stay abstracted from politics.

The 2026 World Cup comes conscionable six months aft a large crackdown connected anti-government protests successful Iran, during which quality rights groups accidental thousands of radical were killed.

Some supporters proceed to spot the squad arsenic a awesome of nationalist pridefulness careless of politics. Others person go progressively critical, arguing that the broadside is excessively intimately associated with authorities institutions and should not beryllium viewed separately from the country's governmental establishment.

That does not mean enactment for Team Melli has disappeared. Football remains by acold Iran's astir fashionable athletics and millions are expected to travel the team's advancement successful North America.

But arsenic Iran prepares for different World Cup, the level of nationalist statement that erstwhile accompanied large tournaments appears little definite than successful the past.

On the pitch, Iran volition anticipation to execute thing they person ne'er managed before.

Despite qualifying for 7 World Cups, they person ne'er progressed beyond the radical stage. The expanded 48-team format offers caller opportunities, and Iran volition judge reaching the knockout rounds is an achievable objective.

Whether shot remains the ascendant communicative is different question.

World Cups person often reflected the governmental realities of their time. Yet it is hard to callback different squad arriving astatine a tourney nether specified a operation of diplomatic isolation, subject tensions, visa uncertainty and governmental part among sections of its ain support.