Iran will boycott the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw. What is the reason?

Iran’s men’s national football team will not participate in the draw ceremony for the final part World Cup 2026. This decision was taken by the Football Federation of Iran in response to the US refusal to issue visas to several members of the delegation, including the president of the federation, Mehdi Taj.

“We have informed FIFA that this US decision has nothing to do with sports. Members of our delegation will not take part in the draw,” said the federation’s spokesman, Amir Mehdi Alavi. Taja himself called the visa refusal a political move and appealed to FIFA to intervene.

The draw for the final part of the 2026 World Cup will take place on December 5 in Washington. Iran got to the second basket and can become a potential opponent of the Ukrainian national team at the tournament.

For Iran, this will be the 7th participation in the world championships. The team won its first ticket in 1978, but lost all the matches of the group stage. The Iranians have never qualified for the playoffs, always finishing third or fourth in their group.

The 2026 World Cup will be the first tournament with 48 national teams. The format includes 12 groups of 4 teams, from which the best two plus 8 third places will advance to the round of 16. Matches will be held in 16 cities. The opening match of the tournament is scheduled for June 11, 2026 in Mexico City, and the final will be held on July 19 in New York.