All 26 members of Iran's national football team have successfully obtained U.S. visas. U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, announced this achievement on June 5, 2026, in anticipation of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, handled the visa processing. However, several important administrative and managerial personnel were denied visas. Among those refused were Executive Director Mehdi Kharati and Secretary General Hedayat Mombini. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio remarked that individuals associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are prohibited from joining the delegation.

"We have no problem with the athletes, as we stated earlier, or their support staff," Rubio said during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing. "But what we're not going to allow is for them to embed i ...