Iran to boycott FIFA World Cup draw after US denies visas to delegation members

Tehran: Iran will boycott next week's FIFA World Cup finals draw in Washington after the United States denied visas to several members of its delegation, the Iranian football federation announced Friday.

"We have informed FIFA that the decisions taken have nothing to do with sports and the members of the Iranian delegation will participate in the World Cup draw," the federation's spokesperson told state television.

Iranian sports outlet Varzesh 3 reported Tuesday that the US rejected visas for several delegates, including federation president Mehdi Taj. Taj on Thursday condemned the move as political, stating, "We have told the head of FIFA, mister (Gianni) Infantino, that it is purely a political position and that FIFA must tell them (US) to desist from this behaviour."

Four delegation members, including coach Amir Ghalenoei, received visas for the December 5 draw, according to Varzesh 3.

Iran earned qualification in March for its fourth straight World Cup and seventh overall, though it has never reached the knockout stage. Memorable clashes include a 2-1 win over the US in 1998, France and a 1-0 US victory in 2022.

The US, co-hosting with Canada and Mexico, and Iran have clashed for over 40 years. Nuclear talks launched in April stalled in mid-June amid Israel's bombing of Iran, sparking a 12-day war with brief US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

With inputs from AFP