10 MENA teams at 2026 World Cup: Morocco eyes title, Iran faces visa hurdles
Jordan is competing in its first World Cup, while Iraq is making only its second appearance, as teams from the region seek to advance against European and Latin American powerhouses.
NEW YORK — A total of 10 teams from the Middle East and North Africa will compete in the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, with Morocco considered a contender to win it all and Iran seeking to play in the United States despite the war.
The quadrennial association football (soccer) tournament kicks off on Thursday and will run until July 19. Matches are being held throughout the US, Canada and Mexico, with the final set to take place in the New York City area.
The following teams from the MENA region are competing.
Qatar
The 2022 host, Qatar, will become the first team from the region to play in this year’s World Cup when it faces Switzerland on June 13 in California. It will then go on to play Canada in Vancouver on June 18 and Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 24 in Seattle.
Qatar was the first Middle Eastern team to host a World Cup, but it had a lackluster performance on its home turf, losing all three of its Group Stage matches. Qatar is currently ranked 55th in the FIFA world rankings, ahead of Bosnia and Herzegovina (64) but behind Canada (30) and Switzerland (19).
Morocco
Morocco is the highest-ranked MENA country in the tournament and rose to seventh earlier this month — its highest ranking ever.
Morocco made history in the 2022 World Cup, becoming the first Arabic-speaking and African nation to reach the semifinals. It ultimately lost to France 2-0 and then fell to Croatia in the match for third place, but it gained considerable support across the region during its run.
A number of players from the 2022 squad are playing again, including star Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi and goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who plays for the Saudi club Al Hilal.
Notably, several of Morocco’s players are from the diaspora, including Hakimi, who was born and raised in Spain.
Morocco’s first match is against fellow title contender Brazil (ranked sixth) on June 13 in New Jersey. It will then compete against Scotland (43) on June 19 in Massachusetts and Haiti (81) on June 24 in Atlanta.
Turkey
Turkey is playing in the World Cup for the first time since 2002, when it finished third — its best-ever result. The team qualified for the tournament after defeating Kosovo in a qualifier in March.
Currently ranked 22nd in the world, Turkey will first play Australia (27) on June 13 in Vancouver before taking on Paraguay (40) on June 19 and the US (16) on June 25, with both of the latter matches taking place in California.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is reportedly planning to attend the match against the US.
Tunisia
Tunisia is making its sixth World Cup appearance after a 2022 campaign in which it beat rival and eventual runner-up France in the Group Stage but failed to advance. The 46th-ranked team’s first match is against Sweden (38) in Guadalajara on June 14. From there, Tunisia will head to Monterrey to face Japan (18) on June 20 before playing the Netherlands (8) in Kansas City on June 25.
Iran
Iran’s participation in the upcoming World Cup has been marred by controversy related to the US-Israel-Iran war, and the team was issued visas only on Friday, just 10 days before their first match. Reuters reported that the team had been granted the visas, citing a White House official.
US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack confirmed the news, saying in a post on X, "Sports transcends borders, and we look forward to welcoming competitors and fans from around the world." The team had applied for the visas in Turkey.
The team has been preparing in Turkey amid the war but was scheduled to leave for Mexico on Saturday, where it plans to stay throughout the competition, despite all of its games being located in the United States.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that the Trump administration had “no problem” with the athletes entering the country, but he said it would not allow any affiliates of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to enter.
“What we’re not going to allow is for them to embed in their delegation a bunch of people that we know have nothing to do with athletics and have ties to the IRGC or things of that nature,” Rubio told a House hearing.
The IRGC is designated as a terrorist organization by both the US and Canada. The head of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mehdi Taj, was denied entry into Canada for a FIFA event in April due to his alleged ties to the corps. Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency reported on Friday that some members of the team staff had yet to be issued visas.
The state-run Press TV reported Wednesday that Mexico had granted the squad visas on an “exceptional basis,” without requiring players and staff to appear in person at the embassy or undergo fingerprinting. Late last month, the soccer federation called on FIFA to clarify whether World Cup-related visas would be granted.
Iran, ranked 21st in the world, will face New Zealand (85) on June 15 in California, Belgium (9) on June 21 in California and Egypt (29) on June 26 in Seattle.
The Seattle match has also proved controversial. Iran raised objections last December to plans for LGBTQ branding during the match against Egypt to coincide with Pride weekend in the city.
The Iranian squad has not shied away from addressing the conflict, and authorities decided in late April that the team would refer to themselves as “Minab 168” during the tournament. The name refers to the 168 people, most of them young schoolchildren, who died when a girls' primary school in Minab, Iran, was bombed in late February. Multiple outlets have reported that the US military was responsible for the strike.
Iran played the US in the 2022 tournament, losing 1-0. The team did not advance out of the Group Stage.
Egypt
Egypt’s first match will perhaps be its toughest, when it faces Belgium in Seattle on June 15. It will then play New Zealand on June 21 in Vancouver before its final Group Stage match against Iran.
Egypt’s squad is led by Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, widely recognized as the most popular Arab player in the world.
Saudi Arabia
The 2034 hosts, Saudi Arabia, are looking to raise their profile after a promising campaign in 2022 and the growing stature of the Saudi Pro League, which has attracted major stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
Saudi Arabia, currently ranked 61st, was the only team to defeat eventual champion Argentina in the 2022 tournament. The Saudis failed to capitalize on the victory, however, losing their next two matches and failing to advance.
Saudi Arabia faces a tough road and will play Uruguay (17) in Miami on June 15 in a stadium that is sure to be filled with fans supporting the Latin American opponent. It will then play powerhouse Spain (2) on June 21 in Atlanta and Cabo Verde (68) on June 26 in Houston.
Iraq
Iraq is competing in the World Cup for only the second time, having previously qualified in 1986. It secured a place in this year’s competition after defeating Bolivia in a March qualifier, sparking celebrations across the country.
Iraq’s best-known players are the British-born Zidane Iqbal, who plays for the Dutch club Utrecht, and Ali Al-Hamadi of Premier League side Ipswich Town.
Ranked 57th, Iraq’s first match is against Norway (31) on June 16 in Massachusetts. It will then play France, the top-ranked team in the world and runner-up in 2022, on June 22 in Philadelphia, followed by Senegal (14) on June 26 in Toronto.
Jordan
Jordan is competing in the World Cup for the first time. The country qualified in June of last year after a victory over Oman, leading to major celebrations, including by King Abdullah II.
Jordan, ranked 63rd, will play Austria (23) on June 16 in California, Algeria (28) on June 22, also in California, and defending champion Argentina (3) on June 27 in Texas.
Algeria
Algeria is making its first World Cup appearance since 2014, having failed to qualify in 2018 and 2022. It opens with a difficult match against Argentina on June 16 in Kansas City before facing Jordan and then Austria on June 27, also in Kansas City.
