Head coach Ghalenoei is part of the delegation attending the draw despite saying they would boycott it over visa issues.
Iranian football team’s head coach Ardeshir Amir Ghalenoei has arrived in Washington, DC, with a delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation, before the draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
FIFA confirmed the delegation’s presence in the United States capital on Friday, as preparations continue for the expanded 48-team tournament next summer, which will be hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.
Iran initially said they would boycott the ceremony in the US capital over visa issues.
While Iran had applied for nine visas for their delegation, Iranian football federation (FFIRI) spokesman Amir Mehdi Alavi was quoted as saying the US had granted four visas, including coach Ghalenoei.
Mehdi Taj, president of the FFIRI, was not granted a visa and denounced the decision as being a political one.
“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,” he told state television last week.
“We have told the head of FIFA, Mr [Gianni] Infantino, that it is purely a political position and that FIFA must tell them [US] to desist from this behaviour,” added Taj.
The US has longstanding strict visa restrictions on Iranians for political and security reasons.
“FIFA has welcomed the arrival of the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation delegation to Washington, DC, including head coach Ardeshir Ghalenoei, to attend the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw and the team seminar,” the global body said in a statement.
“FIFA looks forward to continuing to work with the Federation and the host country authorities to ensure preparations for their participation at the FIFA World Cup 2026 next summer.”
Iran secured qualification earlier this year through the Asian qualifiers and will discover their group-stage opponents at the draw later on Friday at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The US and Iran have been at loggerheads for more than four decades.
They had, though, been holding high-level nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington that had begun in April, during which the two sides were at odds over Iran’s right to enrich uranium – a right that Tehran defends as “inalienable”.
However, they ended when, in mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, triggering a 12-day war that the US briefly joined, with strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities.
