Breaking! Iran will not attend the 2026 World Cup draw
Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
The group stage draw for the 2026 World Cup is approaching, but one of the qualified countries will not be attending the event.
Details: The Iranian Football Federation announced that they have declined to travel to the United States for the draw, scheduled for December 5. The issue is that only four members of the delegation were granted U.S. visas, while the rest were denied.
Quote: “We informed FIFA that these decisions are unrelated to sport, and that the Iranian delegation will not participate in the World Cup draw,” said Iran’s team spokesperson Amir Mehdi Alavi.
We previously reported that despite directly qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, the Iranian national team is unlikely to take part in the tournament.
Reminder: The final stage of the World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026. For the first time, the tournament will be jointly hosted by three countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The World Cup will also feature 48 teams for the first time, up from 32.
