Iran's World Cup Team Gets State Send-Off With Hezbollah Flags and 'Death to America' Chants as US Visa Fears Loom

Iran's football team was given a state farewell ceremony in Tehran on Wednesday, complete with Hezbollah flags in the crowd and chants of "Death to America." The send-off was meant to celebrate the team's upcoming World Cup campaign. But there is a problem: none of the players or coaching staff have US visas yet. And all three of Iran's group-stage matches are scheduled to be played in the United States.

The ceremony drew such large crowds that players were initially unable to leave their team buses. The event featured the unveiling of Iran's official 2026 World Cup kit. Some players took to the stage to speak of "patriotism" in front of regime supporters who regularly attend state-organised events. The head of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, told state-run television IRIB that this was the best farewell ceremony in the last four World Cups, adding that the players stand alongside the people, and the people stand alongside the country's dignity, honour, and power.

Taj also made a surprising claim: that Iranian-American singer Nasrollah Moein, based in Los Angeles, had agreed to record an anthem for the national team. Moein denied this within hours, describing the claim as a rumour on his Instagram page. Meanwhile, Mehr News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Development Organisation, censored footage showing Hezbollah flags in the crowd when it published its coverage of the ceremony.

The visa issue is not new. Iran's World Cup participation has been clouded by uncertainty since the outbreak of war with the United States and Israel in late February. Taj himself was denied entry to Canada two weeks ago when he attempted to attend the FIFA Congress in Vancouver. The Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) are designated a terrorist organisation in both Canada and the United States, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said people linked to the IRGC would not be permitted to enter.

Tehran says it expects FIFA to resolve the issue. Heydat Mombini, the federation's secretary-general, said on the sidelines of the ceremony that they had not yet received anything regarding the visas but hoped the issue would be resolved within the timeframe. He added that FIFA has given assurances and that they hoped it would follow through so players could receive their visas on time. Reports that the US had rejected visa applications for players in Iraq's national team – later denied by the White House and the Iraqi Football Association – have only added to concerns in Tehran. Mombini said he had heard the same news and hoped FIFA would step in, arguing that sport should be separate from politics and that FIFA has a duty to intervene and ensure the entry of all team members is facilitated.

The war has severely disrupted Iran's preparations. Fixtures and training plans have been cancelled. The national coach's Italian assistant terminated his contract unilaterally. The team has been reduced to playing internal practice matches. Iran was already struggling before the war, having lost to both Uzbekistan and Russia, with sports media – including outlets close to the Revolutionary Guards – calling for coach Amir Ghalenoei to be replaced by a foreign manager.

The team will travel to Turkey next week for a training camp and is scheduled to play a warm-up match against Gambia in Antalya on 29 May. The federation is also working to arrange a second friendly during the camp. Whether the players will actually be able to enter the US for the World Cup remains an open question. The ceremony in Tehran was a show of unity and defiance. But without visas, that show may not travel very far. The Iranian national team's relationship with Iranians both at home and abroad is complicated. Four years ago, during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Iranians in several cities celebrated the team's defeats to England and the US as a form of protest against the Tehran regime. This time, the politics are even messier. And the clock is ticking.

Written by Sandy van Dongen