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Iran unexpectedly boycotts the 2026 World Cup draw. |
Iran has become the first team to withdraw from next week's 2026 World Cup group stage draw at the Kennedy Center. The decision comes amid tensions over the US's failure to secure visas for five members of a delegation expected to attend the event. More strikingly, Iran claims FIFA President Gianni Infantino had promised otherwise.
According to spokesman Amir Mehdi Alavi, the federation has been in constant contact with FIFA over the past two days and informed them that they will not be going to Washington because “the process has deviated from the spirit of sportsmanship.” Iran said the visa-related decisions were political , going against FIFA’s previous commitments.
The controversy is further compounded by the fact that Infantino reportedly reassured the Iranian team that they would be accommodated from the draw until the end of their World Cup journey. However, at this point, there is no guarantee that the delegation, including the security chief and the CEO, who must attend mandatory workshops, will receive adequate visas.
Iran qualified for the 2026 World Cup in March and is in Pot 2. The lack of a representative in the draw does not affect their place in the tournament, but creates new pressure on FIFA in the context of political and diplomatic issues continuing to infiltrate football.
The president of the Iranian federation, Mehdi Taj, also asked FIFA to “put pressure on the US side to stop its political actions.” Meanwhile, FIFA said it was “seriously monitoring the situation.”
With tensions unresolved, the 2026 World Cup draw is taking on a new layer of meaning, where off-field stories suddenly overshadow football.
Source: https://znews.vn/iran-bat-ngo-tay-chay-le-boc-tham-world-cup-2026-post1606736.html
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