Iran’s national football team is expected to arrive in Mexico early on Sunday as preparations continue for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to an official team statement released on Wednesday.
The statement outlined the squad’s travel plans and confirmed that the team will leave its training base in Antalya, Turkey, on Saturday.
“The Iran national football team will depart Antalya for Tijuana at 15:20 (1220 GMT) on Saturday, June 6, and is scheduled to arrive in Mexico at 1:30 am (0730 GMT) on Sunday, June 7,” the statement said.
The Iranian squad has been training in the Turkish resort city of Antalya since May 18. However, players were still awaiting visas that would allow them to enter the United States, one of the host nations for the tournament.
The 2026 World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19 and will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Iran, known as Team Melli, has been placed in Group G. The team will face New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15 before taking on Belgium at the same venue on June 21. Their final group-stage fixture is scheduled for June 26 against Egypt in Seattle.
The visa issue has drawn attention in recent weeks amid tensions linked to the conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States. The war began after US forces joined Israeli military operations against Iran on February 28. A ceasefire later took effect on April 8.
On Monday, Iran Football Federation president Mehdi Taj expressed optimism that the players would soon receive the necessary travel documents.
He said the squad was expected to obtain visas for Mexico on Tuesday or Wednesday, adding that “and then a US visa will be issued quickly”.
There was no immediate confirmation on whether the visas had been issued.
Taj also disclosed that the team’s journey to Mexico would include a stop in Spain.
Concerns surrounding travel arrangements prompted Iran to change its World Cup base. On May 24, Taj announced that Team Melli would relocate from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, a city on Mexico’s northwestern border.
Before leaving for Mexico, Iran will play a final warm-up match against Mali in Antalya on Thursday. The team heads into the game after securing a 3-1 victory over Gambia in a friendly played on May 29.
Source: AFP
