"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. 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.""
Iran has decided to boycott the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington after U.S. authorities denied visas to members of its delegation. IRNA quoted federation spokesman Amir-Mahdi Alavi saying officials faced visa obstacles that go beyond sports considerations. The federation reached out to FIFA seeking assistance, and FIFA had not replied to requests for comment. The Trump administration announced a June travel ban on citizens of 12 countries including Iran, with exemptions promised for athletes, coaches, support staff and immediate relatives traveling for major sporting events as determined by the secretary of state. It is unclear whether those exemptions apply to the Dec. 5 draw.
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