GENEVA (AP) — Iran plans to play at least one World Cup game in the United States, but tournament draw A group stage matchup between the geopolitical rivals was avoided on Friday.
Iranian team representing the targeted country American airstrike in June And the people are travel ban The measure, imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration, means the World Cup will begin against New Zealand on June 15 in Seattle or Inglewood, California.
Iran’s next two games could be held across the Canadian border in Vancouver, or in Inglewood and Seattle. FIFA is expected to finalize the detailed match schedule on Saturday.
The United States will face Australia, Paraguay, and a third team to be determined in the European playoffs in March.
Iran’s participation in the tournament, which is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, has already become a diplomatic challenge.
Last week Iran said it would boycott the lottery This comes after several officials, including Football Federation President Mehdi Taj and General Secretary Hedayat Momebeni, were denied visas to travel to the United States. The federation then Fixed the stance Iranian director Amir Ghalenoei said he would attend the event at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
It was not immediately clear whether Galenoei attended Friday’s drawing.
security and visa
Iran is among 12 countries subject to a travel ban ordered by the Trump administration on June 5, as well as Haiti, which is participating in the World Cup for the second time.
An exemption was promised to teams and support staff traveling for the World Cup, but it did not apply to fans.
The Trump administration has called Iran a “state sponsor of terrorism” and barred visitors to it, except for those who already have visas or special future visas issued to ethnic minorities facing persecution.
In late June, President Trump ordered the bombardment of Iran with so-called “bunker buster” bombs and cruise missiles, targeting an underground uranium enrichment plant. within a few days he declared a ceasefire In the 12-day war between US allies Israel and Iran.
Asian soccer power
Iran is an established powerhouse in the world of soccer, ranked 20th in the world by FIFA and second only to Japan among Asian national teams.
Team Melli, as the team is commonly known, is preparing to compete in its seventh World Cup. The most famous player is Mehdi Taremi, a forward who played for Inter Milan, Porto and now Olympiakos.
Iran’s most problematic diplomatic relationship among its future World Cup opponents is with Egypt.
After Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel, diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed in 1979 and remained tense until recent years.
The New Zealand government has condemned the death of 22-year-old Martha Amini in the custody of the country’s morality police in September 2022.
Iran at the last World Cup
Amini’s death came just weeks before the last World Cup in nearby Qatar. Domestic politics brought into the stadium Where Iran played.
The team refused to sign the Iranian national anthem before the opening match against England in Doha, collide Clashes between fans and government supporters during the second game against Wales.
Before Iran’s World Cup campaign came to a disastrous end, many fans protested against the government with slogans of “Women, Lives, Freedom”. Lost to America 1-0
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
