Iran plans to boycott the World Cup draw due to limited visa allocation

Iran will boycott next week’s draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States in protest over the limited allocation of visas, the Iranian Football Federation said on Friday.

“The Iranian delegation will not attend the World Cup draw due to the latest status of issuing visas to the Iranian delegation to attend the draw ceremony,” federation spokesperson Amir Mehdi Alavi was quoted by Iranian sports news website Tarafdari.

The United States has long had strict visa restrictions on Iranians for political and security reasons.

Alavi said the US had granted visas to four members of the Iranian delegation, including head coach Amir Ghalenoei, but had not granted a visa to the president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj.

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Alavi added that the decision followed what Iran described as “unsportsmanlike actions” by US authorities regarding the December 5 draw in Washington DC. “Considering that the decisions taken are unsportsmanlike and the path has deviated from the sporting process, it was decided that the Iranian delegation will not attend the draw ceremony,” he said.

The federation says it has been in contact with FIFA for two days and has informed president Gianni Infantino and the secretary general. “FIFA has said it will follow up the matter seriously,” Tarafdari said.

Alavi did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Iran secured qualification for the World Cup in March after a 2-2 draw against Uzbekistan in Tehran, sealing a seventh appearance at the tournament and a fourth in a row.

Published on November 28, 2025