Tehran: Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei says the United States, as one of the host countries for the 2026 World Cup, is duty-bound to issue visas to the national football team, in accordance with FIFA's regulations.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, in his weekly press briefing on Monday, Baqaei responded to a question raised about the delay in visas to some members of the Iranian national team, as well as what measures the Foreign Ministry will take if the Americans fail to issue travel permits. He explained that issuing visas to the Iranian football team and technical staff, according to FIFA regulations, is the responsibility of the host governments, adding that the international football governing body is on the Iranian side.

The spokesperson clarified that the decision regarding the participation of Iran in the 2026 World Cup was made after various assessments by relevant authorities, including the Ministry of Sport and Youth, as well as the country's sport federations. Baqaei also referred to a recent meeting between the officials of the Football Federation and senior FIFA executives in Turkiye, where Iran was assured that FIFA would do its utmost to ensure FIFA regulations were observed by the hosts.

Baqaei concluded by saying that although the United States had repeatedly violated its hosting obligations, not issuing visas to some members of the Iranian national football team under self-made excuses would not be acceptable, and the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation would seriously be pursuing the issue. The US, Mexico, and Canada are the host countries for the World Cup, making it the fourth time North America will host the event. All three of Iran's group-stage matches are scheduled to be played in the US.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said Iranian athletes were not prohibited from participating in the World Cup, but with less than a month to go before the start of the event, no visas have been issued yet for the Iranian team.