Iran Rules Out 2026 World Cup Appearance

Iran cannot participate in the 2026 World Cup after co-host the U.S. launched airstrikes alongside Israel, Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali said yesterday. The attacks killed the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and triggered a region-wide conflict.

“Considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup,” the minister told state television.

The 48-team World Cup will be held in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19. Donyamali added, “Our children are not safe and, fundamentally, such conditions for participation do not exist. Given the malicious actions they have carried out against Iran, they have forced two wars on us over eight or nine months and have killed and martyred thousands of our people. Therefore, we certainly cannot have such a presence.”

More than 1,300 Iranian civilians have been killed since the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes began on February 28, according to Iran’s U.N. ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani.

Iran are grouped with Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand in Group G, with all three matches scheduled to take place in the U.S.—two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle. Iran, which dominated the Asian qualifying rounds to secure its place in the tournament in March last year, was the only nation missing from a FIFA planning summit for World Cup participants held last week in Atlanta.

There was no immediate comment from the Iranian Football Federation or FIFA. FIFA regulations state that any team that withdraws from the tournament “no later than 30 days before the first match” will be fined at least 250,000 Swiss francs ($320,800). Disciplinary sanctions may include expulsion from subsequent FIFA competitions or replacement with another member association.

Earlier, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said he had met U.S. President Donald Trump, who welcomed Iran’s participation in the World Cup. Trump had previously said, “I really don’t care” if Iran participated, but Infantino said he had a productive discussion with the president.

A source in Tehran familiar with the matter said that, in addition to the decision not to attend the World Cup, warm-up games were not possible because of the war.

Earlier this week, Australia granted humanitarian visas to five Iranian women soccer players after they sought asylum, fearing persecution upon returning home for refusing to sing the national anthem at a Women’s Asian Cup match. Trump had called on Australia to give asylum to members of the Iran women’s soccer team.

Yesterday, Australian police helped two more members of the Iranian women’s soccer delegation slip past their minders to claim asylum, although one later changed her mind and decided to return to Iran.

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