Iran takes a U-turn, drops plan to boycott 2026 World Cup draw

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December 04, 2025 20:03 IST

FIFA

IMAGE: The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw will be held at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on Friday, December 5. Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

An Iranian delegation will attend Friday's 2026 World Cup draw after initially saying they would boycott the ceremony in Washington over visa issues, media reports said on Thursday.

While Iran had applied for nine visas for their delegation, Iranian soccer federation (FFIRI) spokesman Amir Mehdi Alavi was quoted as saying that the US had granted four visas, including head coach Amir Ghalenoei.

Mehdi

Taj, president of the FFIRI, was not granted a visa.

The United States has long-standing strict visa restrictions on Iranians for political and security reasons.

But FFIRI have now decided to send Ghalenoei and Omid Jamali, the head of the federation's international relations department, to attend the draw on Friday, local media reports said.

The FFIRI could not be immediately reached for a comment.

Iran will play in their fourth straight World Cup finals when the tournament takes place in the United States, Canada and Mexico starting June 11.

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