Iran captain Mehdi Taremi calls 2026 World Cup a ‘disaster’ and blasts FIFA over logistics failures

Mehdi Taremi, captain of Iran’s national football team, went public with a blistering critique of FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino on June 27, calling the 2026 World Cup a “disaster” for his squad. The Olympiacos striker didn’t mince words about what he described as a tournament marred by logistical failures, visa complications, and broken promises from the sport’s governing body.

The logistics nightmare

Iran’s World Cup base was located in Tijuana, Mexico. That decision created significant travel disruptions as the team shuttled back and forth across the US-Mexico border to reach their match venues in the United States.

Taremi revealed that 11 members of Iran’s support staff were unable to join the team because of visa obstacles. Support staff includes physiotherapists, analysts, equipment managers, and other personnel who are essential to a team’s day-to-day operations at a tournament.

Infantino’s locker room visit

According to Taremi, the FIFA president visited Iran’s locker room after their opening match against New Zealand. During that visit, Infantino reportedly promised to address the problems Iran was facing. Those solutions never materialized. Taremi’s public criticism came after it became clear that Infantino’s words weren’t followed by action.

The 2026 edition is the first to feature 48 teams, up from 32, spread across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

On-field pressure compounds off-field chaos

Iran’s results on the pitch were adding their own layer of tension. A challenging draw with Egypt left the team’s path to the knockout stages uncertain.

What this means beyond football

Taremi’s comments carry weight beyond the sport itself. The fact that 11 support staff members couldn’t obtain visas to enter the country raises the question of whether FIFA secured adequate guarantees from the US government before confirming match locations and team assignments.

FIFA typically negotiates host-country agreements that include visa facilitation for all participating nations. If those agreements failed to cover Iran’s full delegation, that’s a planning failure at the organizational level. If they were in place but weren’t honored, that’s a diplomatic issue that FIFA apparently couldn’t or didn’t resolve.

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