Iran captain blasts FIFA over World Cup travel and visa chaos
Iran captain Mehdi Taremi sharply criticized FIFA and president Gianni Infantino after Iran’s 1-1 draw with Egypt, saying the team has faced extraordinary logistical problems throughout the 2026 World Cup. Iran finished third in Group G and must now wait for results in other groups to see whether it advances to the round of 32 as one of the eight best third-place teams.
Taremi said Iran was forced to move its base camp from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, because of security tensions and restrictions on Iranian citizens entering the United States. As a result, the team has had to travel back and forth between Mexico and U.S. host cities for matches, and some staff members have not received entry visas and cannot join the squad.
"It is a disastrous World Cup. A disaster," Taremi said. He added that FIFA should have solved the problems from the start, but had not done so, and complained that even after Infantino visited the dressing room after Iran’s first match, the logistics staff were still missing by the end of the group stage because they had not been given visas. He said, "How can it be that we have to go back to Tijuana every time? We love Mexico and the people there, but in a professional competition it is simply not right. We do not have a recovery staff, we do not have all the professionals who should be with us. We complain about these things all the time, but no one helps. It is just unfair."
Asked whether Iran feels unwelcome in the tournament, Taremi replied, "We have to fight against everything here. I do not know what people want. That is how it looks from our side. If they want us eliminated, then fine, but that is not a fair way." He said Iran is still playing for its supporters and wants to send a message of peace, but added that "for us there is no peace." Despite the anger, he said he remained hopeful, noting that the team had good energy in the dressing room after the match and that he was proud of Iran’s performance in its three group games.
