Iran has officially changed its decision to boycott the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw in Washington, D.C. The country’s football officials will now attend Friday’s big event. Just days ago, the Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) said it would skip the draw completely.
According to Newsweek, the U.S. had denied visas to three members of Iran’s seven-person group, including federation president Mehdi Taj. The FFIRI said attending without its full leadership team wasn’t possible, which makes sense. You need your full team for planning a World Cup campaign.
The situation changed completely by Thursday. President Donald Trump’s administration stepped in and got the necessary approvals. This means head coach Amir Ghalenoei and other key officials are now expected to attend the ceremony.
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The visa drama highlights ongoing travel concerns for the 2026 tournament
Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali confirmed the news, saying directly, “Our representatives have a visa and should participate in the World Cup draw.”
This whole situation shows the ongoing travel problems with U.S. entry rules, especially since the U.S. will co-host next year’s tournament with Canada and Mexico. Iran is heading into its fourth straight World Cup finals, which start on June 11. The ability for teams, officials, and supporters to handle U.S. visa rules has become a major concern.
The trouble Iran faced comes from broader U.S. entry rules created under a June order issued by President Trump. This policy blocks travel from nearly 20 countries. The administration has been making various policy changes across different areas recently. However, the order did create specific exceptions for FIFA World Cup-related people, including athletes, coaches, and support staff.
Even with those exceptions, Iran’s initial applications for three key figures were rejected. That rejection led to the temporary boycott. With the visas now approved, the situation shows how complicated the rules are and the frustrating uncertainty they create for participating teams.
Andrew Giuliani, who leads the White House task force on the World Cup, explained the administration’s position, telling reporters on Thursday, “The president has, in his executive order, certainly named Iran as one of the countries whose teams will be exempt to come here.”
Trump, who has made bold claims about his athletic abilities, continues to be involved in major sporting decisions. Coach Ghalenoei will be joined by Omid Jamali, the FFIRI’s head of international relations. The draw is scheduled for Friday at noon ET in Washington, D.C.
Published: Dec 5, 2025 12:30 pm