FIFA President Infantino Faces Heat as 2026 World Cup Draw Boycott Threatens His Bold Promise

The Iranian football association has announced they will boycott the 2026 World Cup draw ceremony scheduled for next Friday in Washington, D.C., citing issues with U.S. visa approvals for their delegation.

Iran secured their World Cup qualification in March and are expected to be placed in Pot 2, which could potentially create a contentious group stage matchup with the United States next summer. However, no Iranian representatives will be present for the draw proceedings.

The United States has maintained stringent visa requirements for Iranian nationals for many years, though it was expected that arrangements would be made to guarantee entry for all official representatives attending the ceremony at the Kennedy Center. According to federation spokesperson Amir Mehdi Alavi, FIFA president Gianni Infantino allegedly made such assurances.

However, that access has not been secured, resulting in Iran's complete absence from the event.

"Given that the decisions made are contrary to sporting principles and have strayed from proper sporting procedures, it has been determined that the Iranian delegation will not participate in the draw ceremony," Alavi stated to Iranian media outlet Tarafdari.

"The Football Federation has been communicating with FIFA over the past two days and has raised this issue with both the FIFA president and secretary general."

Infantino Embroiled in Dispute

Infantino has made efforts to align himself with U.S. president Donald Trump, but now the policies of his political ally have created complications for the FIFA president.

"When the FIFA president last visited our national team's locker room during the 2025 AFC final against Uzbekistan, he assured the Iranian players that the Iranian delegation's attendance would be guaranteed from the draw ceremony through the final day of the national team's World Cup participation, including all workshops," spokesperson Alavi explained.

"There is no assurance that the five individuals scheduled to attend the draw ceremony will avoid complications during the tournament. Even the federation president, who holds positions within the AFC [Asian football confederation] and FIFA, has received clearance, but the security director and executive director, who must attend the workshops, have not received visa approval."

Alavi also noted: "FIFA has stated it will pursue this matter seriously. It was our responsibility to notify FIFA and Gianni Infantino about this situation."

Mehdi Taj, president of Iran's football federation, specifically criticized Infantino. "We have informed the FIFA head, Mr. Infantino, that this is purely a political stance and that FIFA must instruct them [the U.S.] to cease this conduct," he told Al Jazeera.

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