Question

Iran says US has not issued World Cup visas for players.

Answer 1

The link in the claim is a BSKY link that leads to an article made by the news publication called Middle East Eye, I will base the rest of my fact check on the article since the original BSKY poster adds nothing to the claim. I found the claim being made is accurate based on information available in the evening of May 14th, 2026. I found that Iran is set to participate and attend the FIFA World Cup; however, they have not yet received their visas to enter the U.S.

I found the video and time stamp of Gianni Infantino, the President of FIFA, not only saying that Iran is going to participate in 2026 FIFA World Cup but specifically mentioning that they are going to be playing in the United States. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF631RnoB-Y at 58:40.

I found a BBC article that mentions what Medhi Taj, the president of the Iranian Football Association, said regarding the visas. Taj said that there has been no visas issued but that they are going to have a meeting with FIFA within the next two days to resolve the situation. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cgjpye89qyjo

Potential bias that the original article from Middle East Eye may contain is on the side of Iran. The very first photo in the article is not of the Iranian football team or anything related to football but a photo of of a funeral ceremony for two Lebanese civil defense workers that died during an Israeli drone strike. It is related to the conflicts in the Middle East that the US is involved in and what is likely influencing Iran's players not receiving visas but not related to football. The only other photo is a photo of an Iranian player at the end, which makes more sense regarding the content of the article since the author of the Middle East Eye article doesn't mention the conflict or anything related to it. https://www.reutersconnect.com/item/funeral-of-lebanese-civil-defense-members-killed-in-an-israeli-strike-in-sidon/dGFnOnJldXRlcnMuY29tLDIwMjY6bmV3c21sX1JDMkE4TEFGUDRUSA

All articles and Youtube videos linked above support the claim. There is not any articles or evidence that disproves this, however there is not found information of what teams have gotten their visas.

Answer 2

This article is true but somewhat misleading. The link provided is through bluesky and goes to an article by the Middle East Eye. This article is incredibly short and doesn’t source its information well. Like others I was able to find information through BBC saying that the process regarding the visas is taking longer than expected. However no one lists what countries’ players have received their visas from the United States. While the claim is true, it’s attempting to infer that the United States is purposely withholding visas from Iran, when there is no evidence of such. 

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cgjpye89qyjo

https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/iran-says-us-has-not-issued-world-cup-visas-players

Answer 3

The hyperlink included in the above-mentioned statement leads to a Bluesky (BSKY) post containing a news article by the media outlet Middle East Eye. Since the aforementioned Bluesky post contains no extra information, the fact-check below relies mainly on the cited news article.

According to the data at hand up until May 14, 2026, evening, the claim seems to hold true. The Iranian team is going to take part in the FIFA World Cup since they have qualified for the championship. Nevertheless, according to certain reports, the players of the Iranian national team did not receive their visas for entering the US territory.

In order to prove this, I located a video where the President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, speaks about the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In this video, President Gianni Infantino talks about how Iran will take part in this competition and play its games in the USA. This information is found around 58:40 in the video.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF631RnoB-Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF631RnoB-Y) 

Additionally, I came across an article from the BBC that cites Mehdi Taj, who is the president of the Iranian Football Association. It appears that there were no visas issued up until that point in time, but there were plans to meet with FIFA in the next two days to solve this problem.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cgjpye89qyjo](https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cgjpye89qyjo) 

A potential source of bias found in the Middle East Eye article could be the use of imagery used in the story. The image used at the beginning of the story depicts a funeral service conducted for two Lebanese civil defense workers who died in an attack by an Israeli drone. This image might offer some context regarding the wider region, but the image has no link to the story. The image of the Iranian footballer that comes after is a better fit for the article since it is relevant to the story.

In summary, there is sufficient evidence for the truth of the statement. There were a number of resources that indicated that Iran was one of the countries qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and visa problems still needed to be sorted out at the time of the investigation. No evidence was found that could discredit the statement. Nonetheless, no information was found regarding those nations that had been issued visas.

Answer 4

The statement links to a Bluesky post that provides a short update from Middle East Eye. As the original article provides no additional context or evidence, this fact-check focuses primarily on the main claim and the linked paper.

It is true that, according to official statements and international sports publications, the national football team of Iran has not yet been granted visas for the forthcoming FIFA World Cup in the United States in May 2026. However, more information is needed to get the complete picture.

Confirmed Evidence

* Official FIFA Confirmation: FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced during a recent press event that Iran has qualified and will participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He added that Iran's matches are set to be played in the U.S. This confirmation may be seen at roughly 58:40 of the FIFA Broadcast Media Video.

* Iranian Football Association: Mehdi Taj, the president of the Iranian Football Association, claimed no visas have been issued yet. A formal conference with FIFA authorities was planned within forty-eight hours to sort out administrative difficulties, he said. This information is also available on BBC Sport Coverage.

Media Framing and Bias Analysis

A reading of the original Middle East Eye report makes evident the editorial slant in its presentation.

The article is accompanied by a main photo of a funeral for two Lebanese civil defense workers killed in an Israeli airstrike. This graphic has nothing to do with sports or football.  The article contrasts a regular visa wait with a severe regional war. It implies that the United States is delaying the visas as a political gesture; however, there is no evidence to substantiate this assertion. Conclusion: No other qualifying countries have completed their visa processes at this time, according to public records. This makes it difficult to conclude that Iran is being handled differently.

That is correct. Their visas are still being processed, and Iran’s team has qualified. Still, readers should beware the media’s attempt to spin the topic, with some reports trying to connect the visa delay to bigger military conflicts without hard evidence.