FIFA is switched on
World Cup draw: Can’t one participant enter?
02.10.2025 – 10:18 a.m.Reading time: 2 min.
It has long been afraid that Iranian footballers’ World Cup participation could be difficult for political reasons. Now the first problem occurs.
According to the Iranian delegation, the United States is said to have refused to enter the World Cup draw. This was said by the spokesman for the Iranian Football Association (FFI), Amir-Mehdi Alawi, according to the daily newspaper “Shargh”. Among other things, association president Mehdi Taj, head coach Amir Ghalenoei and seven other officials are affected.
Now the association wants to try to revise the decision through FIFA President Gianni Infantino. It is hoped that the ban will be canceled in the next two weeks. The draw will take place in Washington on December 5, the final round in the coming year in the USA, Canada and Mexico. On request, FIFA referred to the agreements made with the US government and currently assumes that the Iranians can enter.
An entry stop imposed by US President Donald Trump affects people from several countries, including Iran. However, exceptions are scheduled for athletic events such as the major sporting events such as the major sporting events such as the World Cup or the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles – for example for athletes, coaches, supervisors and direct relatives.
Sports experts in Iran therefore suspect that there should be no problems for the national team itself. However, officials, journalists and fans could be affected by the entry stop. The Iranian association therefore expressed the wish that the national team’s games in Canada or Mexico were played.
The background to the tensions is the broken ratio of both countries: there have been no diplomatic relationships between Iran and the USA for over 45 years. Around two million Iranians live in the United States – many family reunions are currently blocked by the entry restrictions.