MEXICO CITY
Iran’s national football team players have received Mexican visas ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the state broadcaster IRIB reported on Wednesday.
IRIB quoted Iran’s ambassador to Türkiye, Mohammad Hassan Habibollahzadeh, as saying that the visas were issued following consultations with the Mexican Embassy in Ankara.
“The visas for Iran’s national team players were issued within 48 hours without the players having to appear in person and without fingerprinting requirements at the Mexican Embassy,” Habibollahzadeh said.
The development comes a day after a senior Iranian football official said the federation expected the visas to be issued by late Tuesday or Wednesday morning.
“We expect the visas for Iran’s national team players to be issued tonight or tomorrow morning,” Amir Mehdi Alavi, spokesperson for the Iranian Football Federation, told state media on Tuesday.
According to Alavi, Iran’s national team delegation is scheduled to depart for the Mexican city of Tijuana on June 6.
The visa issue had emerged as one of the main concerns for Iran ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
Iran recently shifted its pre-World Cup training camp from the United States to Mexico, where the team is expected to stay before traveling to its tournament matches.
The team has been holding a training camp in the Turkish resort city of Antalya since May 19 as part of its preparations for the World Cup.
