Iran World – Iran says it will head from Antalya to Tijuana on June 6 for the 2026 World Cup, even as it waits on required visas for Mexico and the United States. The move comes as Team Melli’s participation has been shadowed by the country’s conflict with the U.S. and Isr
By the time Iran’s team leaves Antalya, the schedule looks intact—down to the minute. The uncertainty, though, is all around it.
Iran’s national football team is set to depart Antalya for Tijuana at 15:20 on Saturday. June 6 (1220 GMT). arriving in Mexico at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 7 (0730 GMT), according to the team’s official social media account. The plan. Iran says. will hold even though it has still not received the visas it needs for Mexico and the United States.
The stakes are higher than a normal travel delay. Team Melli’s status has been in doubt since the U.S. and Israel launched an armed conflict against Iran in late February, with the countries currently in an unsteady ceasefire. Iran’s departure to North America is happening against that backdrop. while the team’s ability to move through the U.S. for matches remains tangled in paperwork and politics.
Iran also announced in late May that it would shift its World Cup base camp from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico. The reason for the late change has not been fully known, but the timing has only added to the scramble for clarity.
Before it reaches Mexico, the team is expected to play its final pre-tournament friendly on Thursday, June 4 in Antalya against Mali. Then the travel push comes this weekend, even as the visa question remains unresolved.
Iran’s football federation chief Mehdi Taj said in an interview on Iranian TV that the visa problem should be sorted soon. “We will obtain a Mexican visa Tuesday (June 2) or the day after, and then a U.S. visa will be issued quickly,” Taj said.
For Iran, the World Cup itinerary itself is already taking shape. Team Melli is scheduled to kick off its campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15. The team will also play Belgium in Los Angeles and Egypt in Seattle.
But U.S. officials have made clear that the visa process may not be just about travel documents. On Tuesday, June 2, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers he would be diligent about who the U.S. allows into the country.
During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. Rubio warned about Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) members attempting to “embed” with Iran’s national team. “What we’re not going to allow is for them to embed in their delegation a bunch of people that we know have nothing to do with athletics and have ties to the IRGC or things of that nature. so we were going to watch that very closely. ” Rubio said at the hearing.
The U.S. government designates the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization. Military service is mandatory in Iran, and some players on the national team—including captain Mehdi Taremi—have served in a branch.
The sequence—training in Turkey, the June 6 trip to Mexico, matches that require U.S. entry, and warnings from Washington about IRGC-linked individuals—creates a narrow margin for error. Even if visas are eventually approved. the question of who accompanies the team may become the point where sports plans meet national security scrutiny.
As of now, Iran is proceeding as though its weekend travel will go forward. The team’s movement toward Tijuana is scheduled for June 6, but its ability to reach the U.S. for the June 15 opener still hinges on whether its visa requests are resolved quickly—and whether the U.S. decides the delegation’s composition passes its review.
Iran World Cup visa delays Tijuana Tucson Marco Rubio IRGC Mehdi Taj Mehdi Taremi New Zealand Los Angeles Belgium Seattle Mali Antalya