Iran’s sports minister told state television Wednesday that, in light of U.S. military attacks on the country, the Iranian national soccer team “certainly” cannot participate in the 2026 World Cup, which the United States will co-host.
Nothing has formally been communicated yet by FIFA, which runs the tournament, or the Iranian Football Federation, but this is the strongest indication yet that nation will consider pulling out of the World Cup in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes that have killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and more than 1,200 civilians, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency.
“Given that this corrupt (U.S.) regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances do we have the conditions to participate in the World Cup,” sports minister Ahmad Donyamali said, according to multiple translations of his comments from Persian to English.
“Our players do not have security, and fundamentally the conditions for participation do not exist.”
Iran qualified for the World Cup last year and is scheduled to play group-stage matches in Los Angeles and Seattle. But its participation has been thrown into doubt by the American and Israeli military assault that began Feb. 28 and triggered a widening conflict in the Middle East.
Hours after the strikes began, Iranian Football Federation president Mehdi Taj told local media that, “after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” according to the Associated Press. He said the “sports chiefs” would decide on participation.
Over the days that followed, multiple people briefed on the situation told The Athletic that FIFA had been struggling to communicate with Iranian football officials due to the war and internet blackouts in the country. Iranian representatives were not present last week when a World Cup planning meeting, previously scheduled and involving all participating soccer federations, kicked off in Atlanta, two other sources confirmed.
As of Wednesday, there have been no formal communications indicating that Iran will withdraw from the tournament, but it is unclear what level of communication there has been generally. FIFA, which is aware of the sports minister’s comments, did not immediately respond to emailed questions seeking comment.
On Tuesday night, FIFA president Gianni Infantino met with U.S. President Donald Trump. They “spoke about the current situation in Iran, and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026,” Infantino said in a statement posted on Instagram. “During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.”
A White House official confirmed to The Athletic that this was Trump’s message.
But speaking to Iranian state TV, Donyamali, the sports minister, sent a very different message.
“Considering the malicious actions carried out against Iran,” he said, “… we certainly do not have the possibility of (World Cup) participation.”
If Iran were unable or unwilling to participate, FIFA, per its own World Cup regulations, would have broad discretion to call in a replacement team or adjust the tournament accordingly.
Adam Leventhal and Adam Crafton contributed reporting