Dubai, United Arab Emirates
AP
—
Iran has determined to boycott the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington, DC subsequent week as a result of the US denied visas to members of its delegation, the state-run IRNA information company reported on Friday.
The company quoted Iranian soccer federation spokesman Amir-Mahdi Alavi as saying that officials confronted visa obstacles that transcend sports activities concerns.
There was no quick remark from the White House.
Alavi stated the federation had reached out to FIFA and hoped it may assist resolve the difficulty. Soccer’s ruling physique didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
President Donald Trump’s administration introduced in June a journey ban on residents from 12 nations together with Iran. The checklist additionally included Haiti, which final week certified for the World Cup.
Exemptions, nevertheless, had been promised for “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the secretary of state.”
It is unclear whether or not the exemptions additionally apply to the World Cup draw, which takes place on December 5 on the Kennedy Center.
The Iranian delegation would have been anticipated to be led by its soccer federation president Mehdi Taj, one of the vital senior officials in Asian soccer and a member of two FIFA committees which have oversight of the World Cup.
He is among the vice presidents of the Asian Football Confederation and a member of FIFA panels with accountability for the ruling physique’s competitions, plus males’s nationwide crew soccer normally.
A file 48 groups will take part within the June 11-July 19 World Cup co-hosted by the the US, Canada and Mexico.