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Iran’s national football team is set to arrive in Mexico early Sunday as preparations intensify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite lingering uncertainty over the players’ United States visas.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Iranian Football Federation confirmed that Team Melli will depart their training base in Antalya, Turkey, on Saturday and land in the northwestern Mexican city of Tijuana in the early hours of Sunday.
“The Iran national football team will depart Antalya for Tijuana at 15:20 (1220 GMT) on Saturday, June 6, and is scheduled to arrive in Mexico at 1:30 a.m. (0730 GMT) on Sunday, June 7,” the statement said.
The squad has been preparing for the tournament in the southern Turkish resort city of Antalya since May 18 but remains in limbo over visa approvals needed to enter the United States, one of the three co-hosts of the tournament.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, is scheduled to run from June 11 to July 19.
Iran have been drawn in Group G and will begin their campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15 before facing Belgium in the same city on June 21. Their final group-stage fixture will be against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
The visa issue has been complicated by heightened tensions following the conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States earlier this year. The hostilities, which began on February 28, were eventually halted by a ceasefire agreement reached on April 8.
Speaking on Monday, Iranian Football Federation President Mehdi Taj expressed optimism that the players would receive their Mexican visas by Tuesday or Wednesday, after which US visas would be processed swiftly.
However, it remained unclear as of Wednesday whether the necessary travel documents had been issued.
Taj also disclosed that the team would travel to Mexico through Spain before settling in Tijuana, which was recently selected as Iran’s World Cup base.
The decision follows an earlier plan to establish the team’s camp in Tucson, Arizona. However, on May 24, Iranian officials confirmed the relocation to Tijuana amid concerns over visa processing and geopolitical tensions.
Before departing for Mexico, Iran will play one final warm-up match against Mali in Antalya on Thursday. The fixture comes after Team Melli recorded a 3-1 victory over Gambia in a friendly on May 29.
With the World Cup fast approaching, Iran will be hoping to resolve the visa uncertainty quickly as they prepare for a challenging group-stage campaign on football’s biggest stage.
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