US to grant visas to Iran World Cup players but not fans with new visa ban

Iran's national football team and its support staff will be allowed to enter the United States for the 2026 World Cup despite a sweeping new travel ban signed by President Donald Trump that bars citizens of 12 countries, including Iran, from entering the US.

The executive order, issued on Wednesday, includes an exemption for athletes, coaches, essential staff, and immediate family members travelling to participate in major sporting events such as the World Cup and the Olympics. This means Iran's players and coaching team will be eligible for visas when the tournament kicks off next summer, which the US is co-hosting with Mexico and Canada.

However, the exemption does not extend to ordinary Iranian fans. The decision has crushed hopes for thousands who had dreamed of watching Team Melli compete on US soil - a rare opportunity for Iranians to attend a World Cup within reach.

"My friends and I have been waiting for years to watch Team Melli play in a World Cup on US soil," Sohrab Naderi, a Tehran-based football fan who attended the 2022 tournament in Qatar, told AFP. "Now that dream is shattered because of politics that we don’t control."

The new ban, which takes effect on Monday, blocks entry for both immigrants and non-immigrants from countries including Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, and Haiti.

Trump said the decision was in response to the recent attack on a pro-Israel event in Colorado by an alleged undocumented immigrant from Egypt.

The 2026 World Cup will mostly be held in the US, including the final match. While Iranian players and staff will be able to travel, there's growing frustration that fans, friends, and extended family are being left out.

"This is degrading to all Iranians," Naderi added. "Every country’s fans should be allowed to support their team."

Trump's order labels Iran a state sponsor of terrorism and accuses it of refusing to cooperate with US security efforts, in language that reflects the broader tensions between the two countries, whose diplomatic ties have been severed since 1979.

There's still hope among some Iranians that a breakthrough in nuclear talks could lead to a softening of the policy before the tournament.

Others, including political commentator Mohammad Reza Manafi, have called for sports diplomacy to ease tensions: "This could be an opportunity to do what diplomats have failed to do for years."

Meanwhile, Iran's football federation and the families of players are waiting for clarity on who qualifies as an "immediate relative" under the exemption.

Questions also remain about whether similar provisions will apply to the FIFA Club World Cup later this year, which the US is also hosting.