The Iranian national team has decided not to participate in the draw for the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in Washington next week.
According to the state news agency IRNA, the main reason for this decision is the denial of visas to members of the Iranian delegation by the United States.
Amir-Mahdi Alavi, spokesman for the Iranian football federation, stated that the obstacles with visas go beyond sporting considerations.
So far, there have been no comments from the White House.
FIFA modifies the World Cup draw format to avoid early clashes between important teams.
Ticket sales for the World Cup will begin on December 11th.
Alavi indicated that the federation contacted FIFA, hoping that it can intervene to resolve the situation. However, the governing body of football has not yet issued a response.
In June, the administration of former President Donald Trump announced a travel ban for citizens of 12 countries, including Iran. Haiti, which recently qualified for the World Cup, was also on that list.Se esperaba que Mehdi Taj, presidente de la Federación de Fútbol de la República Islámica de Irán, liderara la delegación iraní en el sorteo de la Copa del Mundo.However, exemptions were promised for “any athlete or member of a sports team, including coaches, people who play a necessary support role and immediate family members, who travel for the World Cup, the Olympic Games or another major sporting event, as determined by the Secretary of State”.
It is not yet clear whether these exemptions also apply to the World Cup draw, which will take place on December 5 at the Kennedy Center.
It was expected that the Iranian delegation would be headed by its football federation president, Mehdi Taj, one of the highest-ranking officials in Asian football and a member of two FIFA committees overseeing the World Cup.
Taj is one of the vice presidents of the Asian Football Confederation and a member of FIFA panels with responsibility for the competitions of the governing body, as well as men’s national team football in general.
A record 48 teams will participate in the World Cup, which will be held from June 11 to July 19 and will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
