Iran's World Cup team given state farewell in Tehran

Iran's national football team was feted at a public farewell ceremony in Tehran, according to Euronews and Al Jazeera reporting on events covered on or around 14 May 2026. Large crowds gathered, preventing players from leaving their team buses at first. The Iranian national team's official 2026 World Cup kit was unveiled at the ceremony.

Mehdi Taj, president of Iran's football federation, told state-run television IRIB that "This is the best farewell ceremony in the last four World Cups." Taj claimed at the ceremony that Iranian-American singer Nasrollah Moein had agreed to record an anthem for the national team. Moein denied the claim within hours, describing it as a rumour on his Instagram page.

Players took to the stage to speak of "patriotism." Heydat Mombini said on the sidelines of the ceremony "We have not yet received anything regarding the visas." Taj said on 14 May 2026 "Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we will have a decisive meeting with FIFA." He stated "We have not received any account from the other side regarding who has been granted visas."

No US visas have yet been issued for Iran's players or coaching staff as of 14 May 2026. The players were expected to travel to the Turkish capital Ankara for fingerprinting as part of the US visa process. Taj said the federation is trying to arrange for fingerprinting to be done in Antalya so there will be no need to travel to Ankara.

All three of Iran's group-stage matches at the 2026 World Cup are scheduled to be played in the United States. The Iranian national team will be based in Tucson, Arizona during the tournament. Iran opens its 2026 World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on 15 June 2026. Iran will play Belgium and Egypt in Group G.