Mehdi Taj

After departing from their training camp in Turkey a day earlier, the Iran team landed around 5am (1pm BST) on Sunday in the Mexican border city of Tijuana

The unease captures one of the most fraught flashpoints of a World Cup already burdened by high ticket prices, transportation woes and other political tensions at home and abroad

Iran’s delegation will depart for their World Cup base camp Mexico on Saturday, despite the ongoing ambiguity over their visas for the United States less than two weeks before their opening game

Efforts to finalise the agreement have faced repeated setbacks in recent weeks as both sides accused each other of delaying talks and misrepresenting draft terms

Israel bombs ancient sites as it pushes deeper into southern Lebanon

Sanctions, strikes and mistrust keep the region trapped between diplomacy and escalation

Azmoun, who has scored 57 goals in 91 internationals, was left out of coach Amir Ghalenoei's preliminary squad amid local media reports that he had been excluded for disloyalty to the government

As of late May 2026, FIFA rankings and recent form provide a clear hierarchy, though the expanded format offers more opportunities for surprises

Iran moved their FIFA World Cup 2026 base camp from Tucson to Tijuana due to security concerns amid Middle East conflicts

GOP allies who backed war now fear Trump may settle for deal that leaves Tehran stronger

Trump Touts Imminent Iran Deal That Would Reopen Hormuz Strait

As next month’s highly anticipated World Cup approaches, participating nations are finalizing base camps across the tournament’s three host countries to serve as training headquarters during the competition

Iran warns Trump: 'We'll take war global if you bomb us again'

Trump muses if he should ‌endorse Vance or Rubio for 2028

Perhaps the best known is 33-year-old former Porto striker Mehdi Taremi, now with Olympiacos

China repeated its push for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened, issuing the joint message with America after U.S. President Donald Trump paid a visit to Beijing for meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping

Chinese leader welcomed US President with a handshake for a superpower summit

Chinese leader welcomed US President with a handshake for a superpower summit

The two countries’ leaders will meet at a moment that offers starkly contrasting energy world views as both aim to expand their influence and economies amid the worst energy crisis in decades

Fans gathered at Enghelab Square in Tehran on Wednesday night to attend a farewell ceremony for the Iranian men's football team before their departure for the World Cup

Iran sends reply to American ceasefire plan

Negotiators are still working toward what officials describe as a preliminary framework agreement — effectively a one-page starting point for broader talks centered on Iran’s nuclear program and potential sanctions relief

Iran Seeks Visa Guarantees Ahead of Soccer World Cup

Taj himself was a high-ranking member of the IRGC before joining Iran's soccer program

The United States is set to host Iran’s three group games at this summer’s tournament

Politics and human rights will take centre stage when leading figures of the football world meet for FIFA’s 76th Congress in Canada, weeks before the North American nation cohosts the World Cup with the United States and Mexico

The plan seems to be an effort to repair ties between Trump and Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after the two fell out amid the American president’s attacks against Pope Leo XIV over the Iran war

Their televised remarks and welcome ceremony drew mixed reactions, with critics questioning the circumstances and calling it propaganda

Tournament set to begin on June 11 and run for just over a month across three host nations

Concerns over their safety surfaced when several players were called ‘wartime traitors’ for failing to sing the national anthem at a match

Iran Seeks Alternative Venue for Matches

Veteran politician Ali Larijani came from a powerful family — but was never fully embraced by Iranian hardliners

The US and Israel bombing campaign, which began two weeks ago, has triggered a region-wide conflict and killed more than 1,300 Iranians, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

With Iraqi airspace closed until April 1 due to the escalating conflict between Iran and the US, Arnold’s squad — containing predominantly domestic league players — is unable to fully gather

Having bragged about sending servicemen and women to commit acts of war, Trump moves on to encouraging the people of Iran to walk into the path of one of the world’s most viciously militarised states

Iraqi airspace has been closed since the United States and Israel launched air attacks on Iran

The Iran women's football team sang and saluted their national anthem before their Women's Asian Cup match against Australia on Thursday, a marked shift from their silent protest ahead of their opening game

The former world No 1 Medvedev, who won the Dubai Championships title via a walkover on Saturday, had been scheduled to play in the Eisenhower Cup, a one-night Tie Break Tens doubles event alongside his compatriot Mirra Andreeva

Ahead of Thursday's Women's Asian Cup group game against the Matildas on the Gold Coast, Didar spoke through an interpreter on Wednesday and welled up when she relayed her concern for her nation and her teammates' families

Sara Didar, a striker for the Iranian women’s football team, fought back tears as she shared her teammates' profound concerns for their families and loved ones back home

Iran was the only nation missing from a FIFA planning summit for World Cup participants held this week in Atlanta, deepening questions over whether the country’s soccer team will compete on U.S. soil this summer amid an escalating regional war

Representatives from the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico marked 100 days to go until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026 by illuminating the Empire State Building in the colours of the three host countries on Tuesday

The Iranian women’s soccer team stood silently with their hands behind their backs during the regime’s national anthem before their opening match in the Asian Cup in Australia on Monday night

The women, looking straight ahead and barely moving, were stoic as it appeared there were jeers from the crowd

With 100 days to go until World Cup 2026 starts, the war between co-hosts USA and qualifiers Iran poses serious questions

Iran soccer federation president issues statement on World Cup participation after US strikes