NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The groups for the 2026 World Cup will be selected at random next week in Washington, D.C., but one of the participating countries has decided to boycott the draw.

Iran opted not to attend the event because the United States 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.

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 Wor

See Full Page