Published On 4/6/2026
The Iranian national football team is facing a unique situation as it continues its preparations for the 2026 World Cup while its country is locked in a war with the main host country of the tournament.
After months of problems, “rumours”, and varying reports about participation or withdrawal, which amounted to nominating alternative teams, the presence of the Iranian national team in the 2026 World Cup was finally confirmed, and the countdown to the first match began, although the matter was not without obstacles along the way.
In exclusive interviews with the Associated Press during the team’s camp in Türkiye, two players from the Iranian national team spoke about the impact of what is happening on their preparations for the World Cup.
Saeed Ezzat Allahi, 29 years old, who participated with the Iranian national team in the 2018 editions in Russia and the 2022 editions in Qatar, said: “Well, to be frank, it is not easy.”
He added: “This will be my third participation in the World Cup. Therefore, dealing with such circumstances may be easier for me and a number of other players. But in the end it will be difficult for us, because at the same time we follow the news of our homeland, and of course political events can affect the minds of players and people.”
The Iranian national team spent more than two weeks in Türkiye, where it conducted most of its training in the coastal resort of Antalya, while some players headed to the capital, Ankara, to apply for visas at the American embassy.
Players rarely spoke to journalists, so team news coverage remained limited.
The Iranian national team will play its first two matches near the city of Los Angeles, which has a large Iranian community.
Ezzat Allahi said: “We certainly expect a large number of fans to attend our matches inside the stadium. This will put a lot of pressure on us because the ceiling of expectations will be high. I only hope that we make them proud of us, and show them that the Iranians are ready to face any difficult challenge in the world.”
As for midfielder Mohammad Ghorbani, 24 years old, he is participating in his first World Cup with the Iranian national team.
Ghorbani told the Associated Press: “It is true that we are going through special circumstances at the present time, but we are professional players and we have to play, train and prepare ourselves for the upcoming competitions.”
He added: “On the other hand, we know that our people are going through a lot of difficulties because of the war, and we are going there for them, to achieve the best results and bring joy to their hearts and the hearts of our countrymen.”
Mexican visas
The Iranian national team obtained entry visas to Mexico, according to what Iranian official television announced on Wednesday, quoting the Iranian ambassador to Türkiye.
Ambassador Mohammad Hassan Habibullah Zadeh said that visas for the Iranian players were issued within 48 hours, without their personal presence.
But the Iranian national team has not yet obtained visas to enter the United States. This problem led to the transfer of the headquarters of Iran’s World Cup camp from the city of Tucson, in the American state of Arizona, to the Mexican city of Tijuana, on the border with the state of California.
The Iranian national team is not required to enter the United States before June 14, just one day before its first match against New Zealand at the Los Angeles Rams’ home stadium in Inglewood.
The Iranian national team will return to Inglewood to face Belgium on June 21, before concluding its Group G matches against Egypt in Seattle (Washington State) on June 26.
Izzat Al-Lahi, who played for clubs in Spain, Russia, England, Belgium, Denmark and Qatar during his career, and is currently experiencing his experience with the UAE’s Al-Ahly youth team, said: “I am very proud to be part of the national team.”
He added: “We have to clear our minds and be in the best state of mind, because our goal and duty is to fight for our people, represent our country, and show how strong we are.”
Ghorbani agreed with him, saying that the team wants to make the Iranians happy, considering that the best message that can be sent now is for the Iranian team to show what it means to be one team under one banner, capable of bringing joy to an entire nation, and highlighting the strength of the Iranian players and the Iranian people to the world.
