Iran will skip the World Cup draw due to visa limitations
Iran’s football association has been given a limited number of visas, thus the country plans to boycott the World Cup draw next week.
Only four members of Iran’s delegation received visas from the US, according to the Tehran Times. Three other requests for visas, including one for Mehdi Taj, the president of the Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI), were turned down.
FFIRI spokesperson Mehdi Alavi stated on Friday, “We have informed FIFA that the decisions taken are unrelated to sport and that the members of the Iranian delegation will not participate in the World Cup draw,” according to the article.
According to Alavi, the organization has been attempting to address the matter by contacting FIFA.
On December 5, the World Cup draw will be held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Mexico, Canada, and the United States are hosting the expanded 48-team World Cup from June 11 to July 19, 2026. 16 locations will host the matches, including two in Canada and three in Mexico.
There will be twelve groups of four teams formed by the draw. Eight teams in third place and the top two teams from each group will go to the knockout stage.
Iran has qualified for its fourth World Cup in a row and its seventh overall.
