Iran, which secured qualification for the fourth consecutive time in March, is among 19 countries whose citizens face restrictions on entering the United States next summer following a travel ban announced by the President in June 2025. ..Continue Reading
Haiti, which earned its place in the tournament in November with a 2-0 victory over Nicaragua, is dealing with the same issue.
A carve-out to the ban had been planned for “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the secretary of state.”
However, in October, the U.S. government refused entry to the Iranian delegation for the World Cup draw, scheduled for December 5.
Reports at the time indicated that those barred from entering the U.S. included the federation’s president, Mehdi Taj, national team coach Amir Ghalenoei, and seven additional officials.
After raising the matter with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Ghalenoei and four others obtained visas, but Taj and three members of the delegation were still denied.
A representative for the nation’s football federation, Amir Mehdi Alavi, explained to the Tehran Times, through the Guardian, that the rejection was “unrelated to sport,” and suggested that the situation might force Iran to pull out of the competition entirely.
“We have informed Fifa that the decisions taken are unrelated to sport and that the members of the Iranian delegation will not participate in the World Cup draw.”
With uncertainty stemming from Trump’s travel ban, Infantino met with the President earlier in November to explore ways to speed up visa interviews for those traveling to the U.S. for the tournament.
FIFA later announced the launch of the FIFA Pass, which will give ticket holders priority in the visa application process.
Still, approval is not guaranteed, as the government recently stated that Haitian supporters applying for entry will not receive special consideration to attend matches.
To date, 42 teams have secured spots in the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June to July.
The final six places will be determined through playoffs—four by European nations and two through an inter-confederation mini-tournament.
Regardless of qualification, every nation will learn its group-stage opponents at next week’s draw, where President Trump will appear alongside Infantino at the John F. Kennedy Center.
With the tournament expanding to 48 teams, the draw is expected to last 45–50 minutes as nations are assigned to groups A through L.
The full schedule of group-stage fixtures and kickoff times will be released following the draw, with an updated match calendar arriving on December 6 to confirm the stadium assignments for each match.
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