The head of the Iranian Football Federation announced Thursday that no visas have yet been issued for the national team to travel to the United States to participate in the 2026 World Cup, according to official media reports. The official Iranian news agency “IRNA” quoted the federation’s president, Mehdi Taj, as saying, “Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we will hold a decisive meeting with FIFA (the International Federation of Association Football). They must give us guarantees, because the visa issue has not been resolved yet.” He added, "We have not received any disclosure from the other party about the identity of those to whom visas were granted. No visas have been issued yet." According to Taj, the players were expected to travel to the Turkish capital, Ankara, to take fingerprints as part of the visa procedures, adding, “The players must travel to Ankara to take fingerprints, but we are trying to arrange for this to be done in Antalya so that there is no need to travel to Ankara.” Iran has been waging a war with the United States and Israel since February 28, the repercussions of which have affected the Arab Gulf states, despite a fragile ceasefire in effect since April 8. There have been no diplomatic relations between Tehran and Washington since 1980, following the hostage-taking crisis at the US embassy. The first category, organized according to sectors of activity, includes groups historically involved in sports such as Adidas, Coca-Cola and Visa, in addition to the Saudi oil giant Aramco, FIFA’s “energy partner” since 2024. As for the second category, it includes mainly American companies seeking to invest in the World Cup on their soil, which is being held in partnership with Mexico and Canada, such as Verizon, Bank of America, and AB In Bev. The agreement with FIFA, which began last year with a first partnership around the Club World Cup, allows the Public Investment Fund to continue its “global expansion in the field of sports,” according to the Fund’s Director of Corporate Identity Department, Mohamed Al-Sayyad, as stated in the statement. After the joint 2030 World Cup between Spain, Morocco and Portugal, with three matches in South America, Saudi Arabia will organize the 2034 World Cup alone, the largest competition ever hosted by the Kingdom. On this occasion, Romy Guy, Business Director at FIFA, said, “We are pleased that the Public Investment Fund will support this year’s edition of the World Cup, which will bring about a major transformation. Together we look forward to organizing a historic tournament that will inspire fans around the world and unite them all.” For his part, Mohammed Al-Sayyad said, “The Public Investment Fund continues to strengthen and expand its global presence in the sports field, focusing on football as a primary focus. This partnership is based on cooperation between the Fund and FIFA.” He added, "The Public Investment Fund continues its efforts aimed at promoting the growth of football around the world, by enhancing participation in the sport and providing more opportunities for players, the public, and the entire football system."