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11/28 10:17 CST Iran boycotting World Cup draw citing visa restrictions for
soccer officials
Iran boycotting World Cup draw citing visa restrictions for soccer officials
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) --- Iran has decided to boycott the 2026 World
Cup draw in Washington next week because the U.S. denied visas to members of
its delegation, the state-run IRNA news agency reported on Friday.
The agency quoted Iranian soccer federation spokesman Amir-Mahdi Alavi as
saying that officials faced visa obstacles that go beyond sports considerations.
There was no immediate comment from the White House.
Alavi said the federation had reached out to FIFA and hoped it could help
resolve the issue. Soccer's ruling body didn't immediately reply to a request
for comment.
President Donald Trump's administration announced in June a travel ban on
citizens from 12 countries including Iran. The list also included Haiti, which
last week qualified for the World Cup.
Exemptions, however, were 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 the exemptions also apply to the World Cup draw, which
takes place on Dec. 5 at the Kennedy Center.
The Iranian delegation would have been expected to be led by its soccer
federation president Mehdi Taj, one of the most senior officials in Asian
soccer and a member of two FIFA committees that have oversight of the World Cup.
He is one of the vice presidents of the Asian Football Confederation and a
member of FIFA panels with responsibility for the ruling body's competitions,
plus men's national team soccer in general.
A record 48 teams will participate in the June 11-July 19 World Cup co-hosted
by the the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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