Iran's national football team captain, Mehdi Taremi, has spoken out against FIFA, highlighting the significant challenges and disruptions his squad is enduring at the 2026 World Cup. Taremi asserts that the team's experience has been severely impacted by the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States, one of the tournament's co-hosting nations.
The Iranian team's preparations for the tournament have been fraught with difficulties, including visa complications for some delegation members and the forced relocation of their training base. Originally slated to train in Tucson, Arizona, the team moved to Tijuana, Mexico, after the war began. Despite these issues, FIFA reportedly rejected Iran's appeal to play their group-stage matches outside the US, citing logistical and contractual obligations.
Speaking through an interpreter, Taremi, a 33-year-old striker for Olympiacos, expressed his disappointment, stating, "I have felt the tension from the first moment we arrived at this World Cup. At any tournament when there is tension, we won’t have the same beautiful experience we always talk about with peace and joy." He further added that this tension "undermines that joy and it undermines the message of FIFA and our people, which is that football brings about peace."
Iran's coach, Amir Ghalenoei, echoed Taremi's sentiments, lamenting the impact on the team's focus. "Without any doubt, this will impact negatively the spirit of football," Ghalenoei said, noting that the conditions have affected their technical concentration, despite efforts to keep players focused on strategy. The team is currently limited to brief trips into the US for matches, flying in the day before and reportedly departing immediately afterwards, a process Taremi described as taking approximately five hours for their journey from Tijuana to SoFi Stadium.
The conflict escalated on 28th February with initial US missile strikes on Iran, which reportedly killed its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. While the war has seen periods of cessation and resumption, the underlying tensions continue to cast a shadow over the tournament. For British nationals, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advises against all travel to Iran due to the volatile security situation, with strict warnings for dual nationals. The FCDO has not issued specific advice regarding travel to the US for the World Cup in relation to this particular conflict, but general travel advice for the US remains in place.