Iranian delegation in the US for World Cup draw after threatening boycott

Head manager Ghalenoei is portion of the delegation attending the gully contempt saying they would boycott it implicit visa issues.

Iranian shot team’s caput manager Ardeshir Amir Ghalenoei has arrived successful Washington, DC, with a delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation, earlier the gully for the FIFA World Cup 2026.

FIFA confirmed the delegation’s beingness successful the United States superior connected Friday, arsenic preparations proceed for the expanded 48-team tourney adjacent summer, which volition beryllium hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.

Iran initially said they would boycott the ceremonial successful the US superior implicit visa issues.

While Iran had applied for 9 visas for their delegation, Iranian shot federation (FFIRI) spokesperson Amir Mehdi Alavi was quoted arsenic saying the US had granted 4 visas, including manager Ghalenoei.

Mehdi Taj, president of the FFIRI, was not granted a visa and denounced the determination arsenic being a governmental one.

“We person informed FIFA that the decisions taken person thing to bash with sports, and the members of the Iranian delegation volition not enactment successful the World Cup draw,” helium told authorities tv past week.

“We person told the caput of FIFA, Mr [Gianni] Infantino, that it is purely a governmental presumption and that FIFA indispensable archer them [US] to desist from this behaviour,” added Taj.

The US has longstanding strict visa restrictions connected Iranians for governmental and information reasons.

“FIFA has welcomed the accomplishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation delegation to Washington, DC, including caput manager Ardeshir Ghalenoei, to be the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw and the squad seminar,” the planetary assemblage said successful a statement.

“FIFA looks guardant to continuing to enactment with the Federation and the big state authorities to guarantee preparations for their information astatine the FIFA World Cup 2026 adjacent summer.”

Iran secured qualification earlier this twelvemonth done the Asian qualifiers and volition observe their group-stage opponents astatine the gully aboriginal connected Friday astatine the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

The US and Iran person been astatine loggerheads for much than 4 decades.

They had, though, been holding high-level atomic talks betwixt Tehran and Washington that had begun successful April, during which the 2 sides were astatine likelihood implicit Iran’s close to enrich uranium – a close that Tehran defends arsenic “inalienable”.

However, they ended when, successful mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented bombing run against Iran, triggering a 12-day warfare that the US concisely joined, with strikes connected cardinal Iranian atomic facilities.