The Iran soccer federation have revealed that they will not be attending the 2026 World Cup draw held in Washington, D.C. next Friday in protest against the allocation of U.S. visas for the delegation.
Iran qualified for the World Cup back in March and are slated to be in Pot 2, potentially setting them up for a divisive group stage clash with the U.S. next summer. Not that anyone from the national team will be there for the draw.
There have been strict regulations in the United States regarding visas for Iranians for years but it was assumed that steps would be taken to ensure that the full traveling party of representatives would be granted access to attend the event at the Kennedy Center. FIFA president Gianni Infantino is accused of promising as much by the federation’s spokesperson Amir Mehdi Alavi.
Yet, that entry has not been guaranteed and now no delegates from Iran will be in attendance.
“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 be present at the draw ceremony,” Alavi told Iranian outlet Tarafdari.
“The Football Federation has been in correspondence with FIFA for the last two days and this matter has been brought to the attention of the FIFA president and secretary General.”
Infantino Dragged Into Controversy
Infantino has been at pains to associate himself with U.S. president Donald Trump but now the policies of his political bedfellow have come back to bite the FIFA president.
“The last time the FIFA president was present in the national team’s dressing room was the 2025 AFC final against Uzbekistan, when he announced to the Iranian players that the Iranian convoy’s presence would be guaranteed from the beginning of the draw ceremony until the last day of the national team’s participation in the World Cup, including workshops,” spokesperson Alavi outlined.
“There is no guarantee that the five people who are scheduled to go to the draw ceremony will not face problems in holding the tournament. Even the president of the federation, who holds positions in the AFC [Asian soccer confederation] and FIFA, has been issued a ticket, but the security director and executive director, who must be present at the workshops, have not been issued a visa.”
Alavi did add: “FIFA has announced that it will follow up on the issue seriously. It was our duty to inform FIFA and Gianni Infantino about this issue.”
Mehdi Taj, president of Iran’s soccer federation singled out Infantino for more scrutiny. “We have told the head of FIFA, Mr. Infantino, that it is purely a political position and that FIFA must tell them [the U.S.] to desist from this behaviour,” he told Al Jazeera.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2026 World Cup Draw Boycott Comes Back to FIFA President Gianni Infantino Promise.
