Iran has decided to U-turn its plan to boycott the 2026 World Cup draw to be held in Washington tomorrow (Friday) after the US refused to issue visas to the entire delegation. Iranian Football Federation spokesman Amir Mahdi Alavi said officials were facing visa issues that go beyond sporting considerations.
Alavi said the federation had contacted FIFA in the hope of finding a solution to the problem. However, a delegation from Iran is scheduled to attend the ceremony despite visa issues. Taj, who had applied for nine visas but only received four, and whose applications were seen as rejected by even Football Federation of Iran (FFIRI) president Mehdi Taj, insisted that no one from Iran would attend “unless all visas are issued”.
Iranian manager Amir Galenoi and FFIRI international relations director Omid Jamali are currently visiting the United States, and a larger delegation is expected to join them at the John F. Kennedy Center.
Back in June, President Donald Trump’s administration issued a travel ban on nationals of 12 countries, including Iran. Haiti, which has qualified for the World Cup, is also included in the suspension.
However, exemptions were promised to “any athlete or member of a sports team, including coaches, persons in essential support roles, and immediate family members, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State.”
Taj is a prominent figure in Asian football and a member of the two FIFA committees that oversee the World Cup. He is one of the vice-presidents of the Asian Football Confederation and a member of the FIFA committee that oversees the governing body’s competitions and men’s national team football.
The next World Cup will be held from June 11th to July 19th next year and will be a ground-breaking event with an unprecedented 48 teams participating. The tournament will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
