Dubai, United Arab Emirates
P.A.
—
Iran has decided to boycott the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington next week because the United States refused visas to members of its delegation, the official IRNA news agency reported on Friday.
The agency cited Iranian football federation spokesman Amir-Mahdi Alavi as saying officials faced visa hurdles that go beyond sporting considerations.
There was no immediate comment from the White House.
Alavi said the federation had contacted FIFA and hoped it could help resolve the issue. Football’s governing body did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
President Donald Trump’s administration announced a travel ban in June on citizens of 12 countries, including Iran. The list also included Haiti, which qualified for the World Cup last week.
Exemptions were, however, promised for “any athlete or member of a sports team, including coaches, persons in a necessary supporting role and immediate parents, traveling for the World Cup, Olympic Games or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State.”
It is unclear whether the exemptions also apply to the World Cup draw, which will take place Dec. 5 at the Kennedy Center.
The Iranian delegation was to have been led by the president of its football federation, Mehdi Taj, one of the most senior officials in Asian football and a member of two FIFA committees that oversee the World Cup.
He is one of the vice-presidents of the Asian Football Confederation and a member of FIFA’s committees, responsible for the governing body’s competitions, as well as the men’s national football teams in general.
A record 48 teams will participate in the World Cup from June 11 to July 19, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
