Italy World Cup repechage more likely, Iran furious: "US blocks 4 players"
The countdown to the 2026 World Cup in Canada, the United States and Mexico is entering its final month, and more shadows are coming over Iran’s participation in the World Cup. The Iranian national team, known as Team Melli, is still in a stalemate: players and staff are still waiting for the U.S. visas needed to play group stage matches on U.S. soil.
The wait is prolonged, as is the crisis in the Persian Gulf, which is also having repercussions on the soccer world. As reported by Middle Eastern media, as of May 9, no player or staff member of the Iranian national team has yet received a visa, as confirmed by the Iranian ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh.
“No visa has been issued for members of our team. The United States wants to prevent Iran’s participation,” the ambassador thundered in an interview with Sports Illustrated México. The reason is clear: several of the national team’s players have done mandatory military service in the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), an organization considered terrorist by the United States and Canada.
This classification makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to issue visas. “Four of our most important players cannot get visas just because they served in the IRGC, an obligation for which no one can decide their fate,” the ambassador explained.
The difficulties do not only affect the players. In early May, the president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, was turned away at the Canadian border despite possessing official FIFA accreditation for the Vancouver Congress. For Pasandideh, this is a clear political signal: “They are looking for excuses. He had FIFA accreditation, yet they did not let him in.”
This new case fuels rumors of an Iranian substitution: there is talk of Italy as a mini playoff tournament to be played in the coming weeks. Despite all this, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has reiterated that Iran will play its scheduled matches in the United States, ruling out any move to Mexico. The meeting coming soon in Zurich may bring clarity.
