Iran will not send a delegation to Washington, D.C. for Friday's 2026 World Cup draw, a spokesperson for the Iranian football federation (FFIRI) said.

The state-run IRNA news agency reported on Friday that several members of the Iranian delegation had not been granted visas to enter the United States.

"We have informed FIFA that the decisions taken have nothing to do with sports and the members of the Iranian delegation will not participate in the World Cup draw," FFIRI spokesman Amir Mahdi Alavi told state television.

According to the Tehran Times, the U.S. only approved visas for Amir Ghalenoei (head coach), Mehdi Kharati (executive director), Omid Jamali (director of international relations), and Mehdi Alavi.

Among those who saw visas denied were FFIRI president Mehdi Taj.

In June, the Trump administration announced a new travel ban to restrict or prohibit entry for individuals from 19 countries. Iran is on the list of 19 nations as well as Haiti, which qualified for the World Cup last week.

The ban did include exemptions for athletes, coaches and "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.”

It wasn't clear if the World Cup Draw was included in the events on the list of exemptions.

This article originally appeared on Pro Soccer Wire: Iran to boycott World Cup draw over visa issues

Reporting by Seth Vertelney, Pro Soccer Wire / Pro Soccer Wire

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