Iran players receive U.S. visas for 2026 World Cup - ESPN

A U.S. official confirmed to ABC News on Friday that the players on Iran's World Cup soccer team have received visas that will allow them to enter and compete in the United States.

Iran applied for their visas at the U.S. embassy in Türkiye, where the team has been preparing for the World Cup with a training camp in Antalya.

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U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack appeared to confirm the visa approvals Friday in a post on X.

«Proud of our outstanding team at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara for their work processing visas for Iran's national football team on their road to the FIFA World Cup in the United States,» he said.

«Sports transcends borders, and we look forward to welcoming competitors and fans from around the world.»

A U.S. official told The Associated Press that visas had been issued for players, coaches, trainers and some support staff. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the visas publicly.

The official could not say if any Iranian applicants had been denied. It was not immediately clear when the passports would be returned, allowing the Iranian team to travel, but the official said it could be as early as Friday or Saturday.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the Iranian delegation would be monitored closely for anyone with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

«We have no problem with the athletes, as we stated earlier, or their support staff,» Rubio said during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing. «But 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