Iran has pulled out of next week’s 2026 World Cup finals draw in Washington after the United States refused to issue visas to several members of its official delegation.
The Iranian Football Federation confirmed the boycott on Friday, stating that the decision was taken because “the decisions taken have nothing to do with sports”.
“We have informed FIFA that the members of the Iranian delegation will not participate in the World Cup draw,” a federation spokesperson told state television.
The draw for the expanded 48-team tournament is scheduled to take place in the US capital next week.
Tensions between Iran and the United States have remained high since Washington withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions.
This is not the first time sporting events have been affected by diplomatic disputes between the two countries.
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