Iran has changed its earlier decision and will now send officials to the World Cup finals draw scheduled to take place in Washington on December 5.
The Iranian Football Federation confirmed the U-turn on Wednesday, saying the national team’s head coach, Amir Ghalenoei, will attend the event along with one or two other officials.
The federation’s spokesperson told state television that Ghalenoei “will participate in the World Cup draw ceremony as the technical representative of the national football team.”
This marks a sharp reversal from last Friday, when the federation announced it had informed FIFA that the delegation would not attend because the United States refused to grant visas to several team officials.
Reports from Iranian sports outlet Varzesh 3 indicated that federation president Mehdi Taj was among those denied a visa. Taj had criticised the United States over the issue, saying, “We have told the head of FIFA mister Gianni Infantino that it is purely a political position and that FIFA must tell them to desist from this behaviour.”
According to Varzesh 3, four members of Iran’s delegation, including Ghalenoei, have now secured visas and will be present at the draw.
Iran booked its place at the tournament in March, earning a fourth consecutive appearance and its seventh overall. The team has never reached the knockout stage, but remains remembered for its historic 2-1 win over the United States at the 1998 World Cup in France. The USA later claimed a 1-0 victory over Iran at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The draw comes at a time of long-standing tension between Washington and Tehran. The two countries have been at odds for more than forty years, with diplomatic strain deepening earlier this year after nuclear talks collapsed in June following Israel’s bombing campaign against Iran, which sparked a 12-day conflict and brief US military involvement.
Iran, the United States, Canada and Mexico will all feature in the 2026 tournament, which the US is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico.
