Iran to attend 2026 World Cup draw despite visa boycott threat

Iran to attend 2026 World Cup draw despite visa boycott threat

Iran will attend Friday’s 2026 World Cup draw in Washington, D.C., despite earlier threats by the country’s football federation to boycott the event over a visa dispute.

Iran applied for nine U.S. visas but received only four approvals, with Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI), among those denied.

Taj had declared that Iran would not attend the draw “unless all visas are issued,” after raising the issue directly with FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Read Also: 2026 World Cup: Iran threatens to boycott draw over U.S. visa restrictions

However, head coach Amir Ghalenoei and Omid Jamali, FFIRI’s head of international relations, have already arrived in the United States and may be joined by additional delegates ahead of the ceremony, scheduled for Friday at 17:00 GMT.

Iran qualified for their seventh World Cup and fourth in a row, but faced setbacks due to long-standing U.S. visa restrictions on Iranian nationals over political and security concerns.

The policy falls under an executive order signed in June by then-U.S. President Donald Trump, which bans citizens from 12 countries, including Iran, from entering the U.S., though exemptions exist for athletes and coaching staff attending major events such as the World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Iran will discover their group opponents during the draw in Washington, which will also include debutants like Haiti, another country affected by the U.S. travel ban.

Head of Sports at BusinessDay Media, a seasoned Digital Content Producer, and FIFA/CAF Accredited Journalist with over a decade of sports reporting.Has a deep understanding of the Nigerian and global sports landscape and skills in delivering comprehensive and insightful sports content.

Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date