The U.S. has denied entry visas to numerous officials for the 2026 World Cup, including Palestinian Football Association head Jibril Rajoub and 15 members of Iran's soccer federation. The U.S. State Department cited security concerns for the Iranian denials, while FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated the organization cannot overrule host nations' decisions. The visa issues have disrupted Iran's preparations, forcing the team to relocate its training base to Mexico.
Iranian officials visa denials
- ▪The U.S. State Department stated the Iranian visas were rejected to prevent the team from abusing the system "to sneak terrorists into the U.S."
- ▪The U.S. has denied visas to 15 members of the Iranian soccer federation, including World Cup team supervisor Mahdi Mohammad Nabi
- ▪Iran is the only World Cup team to have a large number of its federation members denied entry into the U.S.
FIFA host nation authority
- ▪FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated that the organization cannot overrule the immigration decisions of host nations like the U.S.
- ▪Gianni Infantino said, "We need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces."
- ▪In 2025, Gianni Infantino had promised that "everyone will be welcome in Canada, Mexico and the United States for the FIFA World Cup."
- ▪Iran's team supervisor, Mahdi Mohammad Nabi, accused FIFA President Gianni Infantino of failing to deliver on promises to secure U.S. access for the Iranian delegation
Iran team operational disruptions
- ▪The Iranian team must operate under tight travel restrictions, entering the U.S. the day before matches and then returning to their base in Mexico
- ▪Iran's players were granted U.S. visas only 10 days before their first match
- ▪Due to visa issues, the Iranian team relocated its training base from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico at the last minute
US-Iran military tensions backdrop
- ▪The 2026 World Cup is the first since 1930 where a host nation is at war with a participating country, following the outbreak of hostilities between the U.S. and Iran
- ▪The visa denials are occurring amid escalating military strikes between the U.S. and Iran
World Cup immigration controversies
- ▪The Iraq national team’s photographer, Talal Salah, was denied U.S. entry after being detained for over 10 hours at Chicago's O'Hare airport
- ▪Jibril Rajoub, the head of the Palestinian Football Association, was denied a U.S. visa and is waiting in Mexico City
- ▪Palestinian official Jibril Rajoub noted that Russia did not impose comparable visa restrictions when it hosted the 2018 World Cup
- ▪Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the U.S. in Miami despite holding a valid visa and FIFA accreditation
- ▪In 2025, the U.S. implemented new restrictions on Palestinian passport holders, including anyone employed by the Palestinian Authority
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