&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Iran World Cup squad arrives at US Embassy in Ankara for visa process")
Iranian footballers and members of their travelling entourage went to the US embassy in Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday (May 21) to submit their visa applications for the forthcoming FIFA World Cup. Per the latest report, the Iran FIFA World Cup squad arrived in Turkey’s southern Antalya resort early this week for a training camp. North American countries, including the US, Canada and Mexico, will host the 2026 edition, starting on June 11.
Four Iranian World Cup-bound players, wearing navy blue tracksuits, alongside a team staff member, wearing black, were snapped entering the US embassy in the morning, an AFP report confirms. Latest reports suggest that all players are following procedures in batches, and are expected to follow similar plans at the Canadian and Mexican embassies, the two countries co-hosting the World Cup.
Iran and the United States cut diplomatic ties in 1980, but the Iranian football federation vice-president on Tuesday said he was "very confident" in FIFA's protocols as the team prepares to play at the World Cup.
"Team Melli", as the Iran squad is known, will play two friendlies ahead of the World Cup in Antalya against Gambia on May 29 and Mali on June 4. Iran, the Asian giants, have been drawn in Group G and open their campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15. They will then face Belgium in the same city, and round off their group matches against Egypt in Seattle.
Iran is seeking to reach the knockout stages for the first time, having fallen short in their previous six appearances in the World Cup finals.
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Iran’s preliminary FIFA World Cup Squad –
Goalkeepers
Alireza Beiranvand, Seyed Hossein Hosseini, Mohammad Khalifeh, Payam Niazmand
Defenders
Danial Eiri, Ehsan Hajsafi, Saleh Hardani, Hossein Kanaani, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Milad Mohammadi, Ali Nemati, Omid Noorafkan, Ramin Rezaeian
Midfielders
Rouzbeh Cheshmi, Saeid Ezatolahi, Mehdi Ghaedi, Saman Ghoddos, Mohammad Ghorbani, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Mohammad Mohebi, Amir Mohammad Razzaghinia, Mehdi Torabi, Aria Yousefi
Forwards
Ali Alipour, Dennis Dargahi, Hadi Habibinejad, Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh, Amirhossein Mahmoudi, Kasra Taheri, Mehdi Taremi
(With inputs from AFP)
