Iran To Skip 2026 World Cup Draw After US Denies Visas To Officials

Iran’s Football Federation has announced that it will not attend the final draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, after the United States declined to issue visas to several senior members of its delegation.

The draw will take place on 5 December in Washington, DC.

Federation spokesperson Amir Mehdi Alavi confirmed the decision on Friday during an interview with state broadcaster IRIB, saying the move followed a series of checks, internal deliberations and consultations with both the Ministry of Sports and Youth and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He criticised the US decision, describing it as behaviour unbecoming of sport.

According to Alavi, FIFA has been formally notified of Iran’s absence, and senior officials, including FIFA President Gianni Infantino, have been made aware of the visa dispute.

He further added that FIFA has promised to look into the matter seriously, Xinhua reported.

The Iranian Students’ News Agency noted that the visa denials affected several leading officials, among them federation president Mehdi Taj, barring them from travelling to the event.

By contrast, four delegation members, including men’s national team head coach Amir Ghalenoei, did receive approval to attend.

The United States, Canada and Mexico will jointly host the 2026 World Cup, which will feature 48 teams and run from 11 June to 19 July, marking the tournament’s first staging across three countries.

Sixteen stadiums will serve as venues, with three located in Mexico, two in Canada and the remaining eleven spread throughout major US cities.

New Tournament Format Explained

Under the new format, the draw will allocate the 48 teams into twelve groups of four.

After the group stage, the top two in each group, along with the eight best-performing third-placed teams, will advance to a larger knockout round than seen in previous editions.

Iran is among the teams that have already secured qualification for the 2026 tournament, marking the nation’s fourth consecutive appearance and seventh overall, a testament to its enduring strength within Asian football.