People gather at a farewell ceremony for Iran’s national soccer team ahead of their departure to the 2026 World Cup, in Tehran. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA via REUTERS
Iran’s national football team was headed to Turkiye on Monday (May 18, 2026) to play a final friendly match and apply for visas to fly to the United States for the 2026 World Cup, Iranian media reported.
The team plan to participate in the tournament despite co-host Washington having launched a war against Iran with a massive wave of attacks alongside ally Israel on February 28.
The fighting has been on hold for weeks thanks to a ceasefire, but peace talks have failed to make a breakthrough and new drone attacks against Gulf countries at the weekend combined with threats from US President Donald Trump raising fears of a return to fighting.
The team “departed this morning for Antalya, Turkey to play its final friendly match before flying to the United States for the 2026 World Cup,” the Tasnim news agency reported.
It said the squad consisted of 22 domestic-based players alongside their coaching staff.
On Saturday (May 16, 2026), head coach Amir Ghalenoei said they would also be completing visa applications for the US while in Turkey.
‘Let ‘em play’
Iran secured their spot at the World Cup in March 2025, but since then the United States has twice launched attacks on the country.
U.S. officials have insisted that Iran is welcome at the tournament, while organiser FIFA has said it will go ahead as planned and rejected Iranian suggestions that their games be moved to co-hosts Mexico or Canada.
“I think let ‘em play,” Mr. Trump said in late April.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any problem would not be with Iranian players but “some of the other people (they) would want to bring with them”, suggesting they may have ties to the Revolutionary Guards, which Washington has branded a terrorist organisation.
Last month, officials from Iran’s football federation abandoned a trip to the FIFA congress in Canada, saying they had been “insulted” by Canadian immigration officers.
One of their delegation, Mehdi Taj, is a former member of the Revolutionary Guards, which Canada has also designated a terror group.
The Iranian football team hope to play two friendlies in Antalya.
They have already confirmed one match, against The Gambia, on May 29, said Sam Mehdizadeh, an Iranian-Canadian who heads a company that sets up friendlies for the team.
“No visas have been issued yet,” Taj, the head of Iran’s football federation, told Iranian media on Thursday.
On Saturday (May 16, 2026), FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom held a meeting in Turkey with the federation, describing it as constructive, as did Taj.
When the squad reaches the United States, Iran will set up their base camp in Tucson, Arizona.
The team, who are in Group G, are due to kick off their campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, before facing Belgium in the same city and then Egypt in Seattle.
Published – May 18, 2026 02:41 pm IST
