Iran will boycott next week’s World Cup finals draw in Washington after the United States refused to grant visas to several members of the Iranian delegation, the Iranian football federation announced on Friday.
“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,” the federation’s spokesperson told state television.
Iranian sports website Varzesh 3 reported on Tuesday that the US had declined visas for several delegation members, including federation president Mehdi Taj.
On Thursday, Taj denounced the decision as politically motivated. “We have told the head of FIFA, Mr Gianni Infantino, that this is purely a political stance and that FIFA must instruct the US to desist from this behaviour,” he said.
According to Varzesh 3, four delegation members, including coach Amir Ghalenoei, were granted visas for the draw scheduled on 5 December.
Iran qualified for the World Cup in March, securing their fourth successive appearance and seventh overall. They have yet to advance to the knockout stages, but their 2-1 victory over the USA in the 1998 finals in France remains a historic moment. The United States avenged that defeat with a 1-0 win over Iran in the 2022 edition.
The US, co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico, has had tense relations with Iran for over four decades. Talks between Tehran and Washington over Iran’s nuclear programme began in April but ended in mid-June following Israel’s unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, which triggered a 12-day conflict and prompted limited US strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities.
