Iranian, African journalists face visa hurdles in US ahead of FIFA World Cup: Report

With the FIFA World Cup set to begin this week across three host nations, the US, Mexico and Canada, concerns are mounting over visa restrictions affecting international media, with journalists from Iran and several African countries reportedly unable to secure the documentation needed to cover the tournament.

The issue has prompted intervention from the International Sports Press Association, which has appealed directly to FIFA officials, warning that numerous accredited reporters risk being excluded from one of the world's biggest sporting events.

Press association raises concerns with FIFA

In a letter sent on Friday to Bryan Swanson, FIFA's director of media relations, and Jochen Steinhoff, the organisation's head of media operations and services, the association highlighted what it described as a persistent problem affecting journalists.

Association president Gianni Merlo wrote, "We find ourselves facing a long-standing and unacceptable problem for us journalists: the denial of entry visas to regularly accredited colleagues."

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Highlighting the scale of the issue, he added, "There are many cases: Iranian colleagues, African colleagues, some of whom have been given single entries, so if their team goes to play in Canada or Mexico and they follow it, they can no longer return to the States. The cases are countless and, I repeat, unacceptable. Politicians always say that sport unites and builds bridges between young people in countries in conflict, but in this case, we are going in the opposite direction."

Merlo also stressed the importance of media access to the tournament.

"We believe it is important to allow colleagues to attend the event and work, because their presence will be crucial to the image of sport and what it represents, especially in a country like the United States of America, where freedom of the press is a must.

"I hope FIFA can do everything possible to secure visas. We're already significantly behind schedule, and many colleagues have already lost the opportunity to use plane tickets booked on time, and they'll also face significant additional expenses."

Tournament spans three countries

The 48-team FIFA World Cup gets under way on Thursday and will run until July 19, with matches taking place across the US, Mexico and Canada.

Iran is participating in the competition despite an ongoing armed conflict with the US. African nations competing in the tournament include Algeria, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia.

Several teams, including Ivory Coast and Tunisia, are scheduled to play matches in the US as well as in Canada or Mexico, making multi-entry visas essential for journalists following their campaigns across borders.

The concerns come just days before the opening matches, with media organisations warning that continued delays could limit international coverage of the tournament.