The Iranian national team, which qualifies for the 2026 World Cup finals, decided on Friday (11/28) not to participate in the competition’s group draw, scheduled for December 5, in Washington. The reason is the United States’ refusal to grant entry visas to members of the Iranian delegation.
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Conditional closure.
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The Iranian national team will compete in the World Cup.
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The team competed in the Asian qualifiers.
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Donald Trump, President of the United States.
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Among the Iranians whose visas were rejected was the president of the Asian Football Confederation, Mehdi Taj. The director explained that the United States’ decision is political and has nothing to do with sports.
Taj said: “We announced to FIFA President, Mr. (Gianni) Infantino, that this is a purely political position, and we ask him to put an end to this behavior.”
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Iran and the United States have not had any kind of diplomatic relations for more than four decades, as the two countries declared themselves enemies. The situation worsened in June of this year, after the American attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.