Iran’s Football Federation plans to boycott the 2026 World Cup draw scheduled for Friday in Washington DC, citing restrictive US visa issues.
The federation, which has qualified for its seventh World Cup, claims the United States issued only four visas for its delegation, conspicuously excluding federation president Mehdi Taj.
Taj confirmed the firm stance on Thursday: “No one will attend the event unless all visas are issued.”
He reported the situation to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, stating the matter had become “politicized” due to the US’s long-standing security and political visa restrictions on Iranians.
Iran urged FIFA to intervene against what it views as a political stance days before the draw is set to begin.
