June 13, 2026
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has failed to deliver on promises to secure full access for the Iranian soccer federation to attend the team's three games in the United States, Iran’s World Cup team supervisor told Reuters.
Mahdi Mohammad Nabi, who also served as Iran’s supervisor in charge of squad operations at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in Russia and Qatar, is among 15 Iranian soccer federation members denied a visa to travel to the US for the World Cup games.
He spoke to Reuters on Thursday evening, a day after Infantino gave a free-wheeling press conference in Mexico City in which he celebrated Iran’s participation in the tournament as proof of his organisation’s success in navigating complex political issues.
"We hope Mr Infantino will indeed implement the words and promises he made to the Iran national team," Nabi told Reuters on Thursday.
