Iran has not yet received visas to travel to the United States and play in the World Cup

(AFP) The president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, said Thursday that they had not yet received visas for their national team to travel to the United States and take part in the 2026 World Cup.

The participation of Iran in the tournament, scheduled for June 11-July 19, remains shrouded in uncertainty since the outbreak of the Middle East war in late February following attacks launched by the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic.

"Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow we will have a decisive meeting with FIFA. It must provide us with guarantees, because the visa problem remains unresolved," Taj said, quoted by Irna news agency.

Iran will play its World Cup matches in the U.S.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino reiterated that Iran will play its World Cup matches in the United States, as was established in the draw for the tournament, which is also being played in Canada and Mexico.

"We have not received any report from the other side on who got visas. No visas were issued yet," Taj added.

Tehran and Washington have not maintained diplomatic relations since 1980, following the hostage crisis at the U.S. embassy.

According to the federation president, the players have to travel to the Turkish capital of Ankara to be fingerprinted as part of the visa procedure.

"We have nothing to do with the United States. We have qualified for the World Cup and it is up to FIFA to organize it," he said.

"If (FIFA) cannot guarantee that all qualified teams, including Iran, can enter the territory of the host country without discrimination or restrictions, the very credibility of the World Cup will be compromised," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi wrote on the social network X.