Iranian FA to boycott 2026 World Cup draw in Washington, DC

Iran is to boycott next week's draw for the 2026 World Cup after several members of its planned delegation were denied visas for the United States.

A spokesman for the Iranian Football Association (FFIRI) announced on Friday that it would not be sending a delegation to Washington, DC, for the draw for the group stage of next year's World Cup.

"We have informed FIFA that the decisions taken have nothing to do with sports and the members of the Iranian delegation will not participate in the World Cup draw," FFIRI spokesman Amir Mahdi Alavi told state television.

He said the move was in protest over the fact that several members of the Iranian delegation had not been granted visas to enter the United States. According to the English-language website Tehran Times, FFIRI President Mehdi Taj is among those who have been refused entry.

US President Donald Trump has imposed a general entry ban on Iranian citizens, with limited exceptions. Iran and the US have been at loggerheads for decades, having broken off diplomatic relations in 1980.

Iranian fans to be excluded?

As things stand, Iranian football fans would not be allowed to travel to the United States to support their team during the World Cup. This also applies to fans from Haiti, which has also qualified for the World Cup.

However, the travel ban does not affect the national team players and coaches of these countries. The Trump executive order makes exceptions for, among others, "any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the secretary of state."

Next summer's World Cup will mark Iran's fourth consecutive participation in the tournament and its seventh overall. The country has never advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup, but it has faced the United States twice. Iran beat the US 2-1 in the group stage of the 1998 tournament in France. The United States got its revenge in 2022, beating Iran 1-0 in Qatar.

The 2026 World Cup, which is to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will kick off on June 11, with the final to be played near New York City on July 19. 

Edited by: Kalika Mehta