World Cup Chaos Starts Early: "Crisis" Threatens Iran's Participation

Early signs of "chaos" for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are emerging, with mounting concerns over the possible absence of the Iranian national team from the tournament set to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, due to US visa restrictions.

1. The Core Crisis: Visa Refusal and Iranian Protest

• The Incident: US authorities refused to grant entry visas to members of the official Iranian delegation for the World Cup Draw ceremony, scheduled to take place in Washington next Friday (December 5, 2025, at the Kennedy Center).

• Iranian Protest: The Iranian Football Federation responded by refusing to participate in the Draw ceremony in protest of the visa refusals.

• Threat of Absence: The spokesperson for the Iranian Football Federation, Amir Mahdi Alavi, affirmed that the visa crisis goes beyond the usual sporting context and threatens Iran's participation in the tournament entirely.

• Demand for Intervention: Tehran called upon FIFA for intervention, but the international federation has not issued any official response so far.

2. Political Background (US Travel Ban)

• Trump's Order: The crisis occurs amid a recent US decision (announced last June under President Donald Trump) to impose a travel ban on citizens of 12 countries, including Iran and Haiti, restricting entry into the United States.

• Ambiguous Exemptions: The restrictions included promises to exempt athletes, coaches, and essential staff participating in major global tournaments, such as the World Cup and the Olympic Games.

• Current Ambiguity: Ambiguity still surrounds the application of these exemptions to World Cup-related events outside of matches, most notably the upcoming Draw ceremony.

• The Risk: Concerns are mounting that the continuation of restrictions and the lack of official clarification from Washington or a response from FIFA could lead to the exclusion of the Iranian team from the 2026 World Cup.

3. Potential Replacement

• Iraq as an Alternative: Some Iraqi sources have suggested that the Iraqi national team would replace Iran in the World Cup should the Iranian side be unable to participate.

• Reasoning: This is because Iraq is the highest-ranked team in the qualifiers outside the eight qualified teams.