04 Jun 2026 14:13 UTC - by Kevin Hand
Iran national players Saeid Ezatolahi and Mohammad Ghorbani talk about how war is overshadowing a World Cup dream.
➤ Despite the adversity, the players express a strong desire to represent their country and bring joy to the Iranian people through their performance.
➤ Visa issues and the relocation of their training base highlight the geopolitical complexities affecting the team's ability to compete.
➤ Iranian footballers are facing immense psychological pressure and logistical challenges due to the ongoing war with the US-Israel, impacting their World Cup 2026 preparations.
Iran is heading to the World Cup while the country is at war with a host nation, a situation that is unique in the tournament’s history.
The United States-Israel war on Iran began on February 28, and there has been an uneasy ceasefire in place since April 8, but the uncertainty – and occasional flare-up in hostilities – means an end to the conflict is far from certain.
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For the Iranian players and staff, the situation has thrown their World Cup preparations into chaos – all of their matches are scheduled to be played in the US.
The Iran team has spent more than two weeks in Turkiye, mostly practising at the coastal resort Antalya, and some travelled to the capital, Ankara, to submit visa applications at the US embassy.
The team’s participation in the event in the US, Canada and Mexico has long been in doubt and, with the visa situation still up in the air, nothing can yet be fully guaranteed.
“Well, to be honest, it’s not easy,” said Saeid Ezatolahi, a 29-year-old midfielder who also played for Iran in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
“This is going to be my third World Cup. So for me and some of the other players, it might be easier to manage these kinds of things,” he told The Associated Press news agency in English on the sidelines of a training session on Wednesday.
“But at the end … it is going to be difficult for us because, at the same time, we are following the news in our country and the political things, of course, can affect the mind of the players and the people.”
The team is set to travel to Mexico this weekend after receiving visas from the Mexican embassy in Ankara. The team said Thursday that the process of obtaining entry permits had been finalised for all members of the squad.
Problems with visa processing meant Iran’s World Cup training base was moved from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, on Mexico’s border with California.
Iran will play its first two games near Los Angeles, which has a large Iranian community, many of whom oppose the current government.
“So for sure, we are expecting to have a lot of fans during our games at the stadium,” Ezatolahi said. “And this is going to be a lot of pressure for us because the expectation is going to be high. I just wish we can make them proud and show them that Iranians, they are prepared for every hard job in the world,” he said.
Iran’s players work out during a training session in Antalya, southern Turkiye [Khalil Hamra/AP]
Mohammad Ghorbani, 24, is going to his first World Cup for Iran.
“It’s true that we are facing special circumstances right now, but we are football players, and we have to play, practise, and prepare ourselves for the competitions we have ahead,” the Abu Dhabi-based player said in Farsi.
“On the other hand, we know that our people have been going through a lot of difficulties throughout the war, and we are going there for them, to get the best results for their joy and the joy of the people of our country.”
The US and Israel killed Iran’s supreme leader and other top officials in their initial attacks. Iran responded with strikes targeting Israel, US forces and the Gulf Arab states. It also has maintained a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Gulf, imperilling global energy supplies.
Despite the nominal ceasefire, Iran and the US have yet to negotiate a permanent end to the war, and attacks continue in the region.
Iran is in Group G with New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt and Iran’s team is not required to enter the US until June 14, one day before its first match against New Zealand at the Los Angeles Rams’ stadium in Inglewood.
Iran returns to Inglewood to face Belgium on June 21 and completes Group G in Seattle, against Egypt on June 26.
“I’m really proud to be part of my national team,” said Ezatolahi, whose career has taken him to play for clubs in Spain, Russia, England, Belgium, Denmark, Qatar and now Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
“We need to clear up our minds and be fresh because our target and our duty is to fight for our people, to represent our country and to show how good we are,” he said.
Ghorbani agreed, saying the team wants to bring joy to Iranians.
“The best message I can give right now is that the Iranian team is showing what it means to be a team,” he said. “We are showing that we are one team under one flag that can bring joy to our whole country, and to show the power of Iranian players and Iranian people to the world.”
The FIFA World Cup begins on June 11. You can follow the action on Al Jazeera’s dedicated World Cup 2026 page with all the latest news, match build-up and live text commentary and keep up to date with group standings, real-time match results and schedules.
Categories rationale: The article's primary focus is on the impact of geopolitical conflict and political opposition on the Iranian national football team's participation in the World Cup. This aligns with 'political-endorsements-opposition' (Level 1) and specifically 'political-opposition-bans' and 'geopolitical-influence' (Level 2). The war's impact on the team's morale and preparation also touches upon 'market-cycles-macro-sensitivity' (Level 1) due to the broader economic and social implications, specifically 'inflation-recession-impact' (Level 2) as conflict often leads to such conditions.Characteristics justification: The article discusses a unique and highly unusual situation (high entropy) where a national team is participating in a global sporting event amidst an active war. The sentiment is overwhelmingly negative due to the war, political tensions, and visa difficulties. There is significant uncertainty surrounding the team's participation and performance. While the core topic is current, the underlying geopolitical situation has been ongoing, suggesting some staleness, but the specific context of the World Cup makes it relevant. The high relevance is due to the specific event (World Cup) and the unique circumstances.Tag relevance: The tags 'iran', 'world cup 2026', 'war', 'us-israel conflict', and 'geopolitics' are central to the article's theme. 'Player morale', 'visa issues', 'team preparation', and 'national pride' capture the specific challenges and motivations discussed by the players.asset-types: others
rwa: false
entropy: 0.85
sentiment: -0.7
staleness: 0.3
relevance: 0.9
uncertainty: 0.95RWATimes slug: aljazeera-iran-footballers-describe-how-war-with-us-israel-affects-their-world-cup-2526798968