DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Iran’s soccer federation said Saturday that the country “definitely” will do so. Participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup And the tournament hosts, the United States, Canada and Mexico, insisted that Tehran’s concerns about the team’s travel and treatment be taken into account.
“All players and technical staff, especially those who have served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, should be granted visas without any problems,” Mehdi Taj, president of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, said in Iranian media.
a team represents a country fragile ceasefire with the US After the US and Israel went to war, war Due to the February 28th attack on Iran, its citizens are subject to sanctions. Travel ban imposed by the Trump administration.
In a statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency, Taj said on Friday that Iran had laid out conditions for participation, including guarantees of visas, safety and treatment for Iranian athletes and officials, adding that the Islamic Republic would participate “without retreating from our beliefs, culture and convictions.”
The statement comes after Canadian officials last month denied entry to the Taj This is reportedly due to past ties to Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards, which is listed as a terrorist organization by both the United States and Canada.
Taj has repeatedly said that Iran will seek assurances from FIFA that Iranian officials, players, flag and anthem will be treated with respect during the World Cup.
Concerns about issuing visas to people who have completed their mandatory military service as members of the Guards have previously been raised by others.
The issue could affect one of Iran’s key players, team captain Mehdi Taremi, a striker who has completed his mandatory military service in the Royal Guards. In Iran, conscripts are sometimes assigned to the police or military, often randomly.
Iran drew with Belgium, New Zealand and Egypt in Group G and will open the World Cup against New Zealand in Inglewood, next to Los Angeles.
Iran has participated in four consecutive World Cups and seven overall, but has never made it past the group stage. Iran, currently ranked 21st in the world, has only lost once in the Asian qualifiers.
