With the FIFA Men’s World Cup about to begin, athletes from Switzerland, South Africa, and Iran are facing visa delays that are disrupting travel plans and creating sharp uncertainty about whether they can reach matches. The cases follow a broader pattern of v
When Breel Embolo landed in the US travel plans for the World Cup, it should have been a routine step. Instead, the Switzerland forward found himself blocked from boarding a flight to his team’s training camp in San Diego—just a day before the trip.
After being turned away by US officials. Embolo applied for a visa at the US embassy in Bern. Switzerland. after the block kept him from traveling with his teammates. The Swiss men’s national team’s leading goalscorer wasn’t left in limbo for political reasons he could point to. The Swiss soccer federation said the United States had been reviewing Embolo’s criminal conviction stemming from a 2018 altercation in Basel. Switzerland. The verdict was finalized in April.
The Swiss federation said the embassy’s inquiries focused specifically on whether any physical violence had been involved. It said the embassy determined that “this was not the case.” Embolo was sentenced to a fine of roughly $165. 000. conditional on two years of probation. for making multiple threats during an argument.
Across the Atlantic, uncertainty hit South Africa’s men’s team with a different kind of frustration: it wasn’t one player. It was a group.
South Africa’s national team had to delay a Saturday flight from Johannesburg to Mexico City because at least 20 people in the traveling party—mainly players—were still waiting for visas from the US embassy in Mexico. Gayton McKenzie. South Africa’s sports. arts and culture minister. announced on Sunday that all national team players had received visas to travel to the US. But he added that an assistant coach, team doctor, the head of security, and one team analyst were still waiting.
McKenzie didn’t soften his language. Earlier that day, he called the situation “embarrassing & grossly unfair towards the players & coaching staff.” He said: “Action must be taken against those responsible for this mess. We are being made to look like fools.”
The team’s schedule kept slipping even as the situation moved.
A South African news platform reported that the team arrived on Tuesday morning. but that the assistant coach and head of security arrived late after their visas were finally approved. On Monday. McKenzie apologized for his criticisms. posting on X that “the fault is entirely on our side. ” and that US embassy workers in South Africa were “only too helpful” and “even worked on a Sunday for the first time ever.” He did not elaborate on what mistakes South Africa made.
For fans watching from home, the damage was already done: the delays created an atmosphere where simply getting to the tournament became its own test—separate from form, fitness, or tactics.
The US has a track record of visa denials involving athletes and international delegations. and these World Cup travel problems fit into that wider pattern. The US denied visas to members of an Ethiopian delegation to the World Athletics Cross Country Championships. breaking a 44-year medal streak after a mass visa denial in January. Multiple Cuban sports delegations have also been locked out of sports competitions since 2025 through the US refusal to grant them visas. including for Olympic qualification events. A Jamaican shotput and discus thrower from Munro College. Javontae Smith. was denied a US nonimmigrant visa last month to compete in the Penn Relays in Philadelphia.
The ripple effect reaches beyond the World Cup itself. It also reaches into how other teams are preparing for travel under pressure.
Iran’s national team is set to leave for Mexico on Saturday. The team’s initial three matches will take place in the US. In May. Iran’s soccer federation won FIFA approval to move its training base from Tuscon. Arizona. to Tijuana. Mexico. citing security concerns amid the US and Israel’s ongoing war in Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East.
Even with that training-base shift approved, the visa picture remains unsettled. Al Jazeera reported that the federation has not yet said whether the players have received all necessary visas for both Mexico and the US. Mehdi Taj. the football federation chief. said on Monday that Iran expects to receive visas for Mexico on Tuesday or Wednesday. “and then a US visa will be issued quickly.”.
For many national team players, the World Cup timetable has long been precise—training, camps, match days. Now the same days are shadowed by an entirely different question: whether paperwork will arrive in time to allow them to play at all.
United States visa delays World Cup visas Breel Embolo Switzerland soccer federation Gayton McKenzie South Africa national team Iran national team Mehdi Taj Bern embassy San Diego training camp FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026