The Iranian national football team released a statement asserting that no entity possesses the authority to bar the squad from competing in the forthcoming World Cup hosted across the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Previously, FIFA President Gianni Infantino indicated that US President Donald Trump, during a meeting, assured him that the Iranian team would be welcomed in the country as a fully legitimate participant in the tournament. However, the head of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, on Tuesday, speaking on Iranian state television, cast doubt on the men’s team’s participation, citing a recent incident involving the women’s squad during the Asian Cup in Australia. Later, the country’s Sports Minister, Ahmad Donamali, declared Iran’s inability to take part in the tournament in the US given the prevailing geopolitical climate. Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social on Thursday that while the Iranian team could participate in the World Cup, “their presence there would be inappropriate,” simultaneously expressing concerns about the team’s safety should they attend the competition.
“The World Cup is a historical, international occasion, and its governing body is FIFA, not any single nation. The Iranian team, through the strength and a series of decisive victories achieved by the brave sons of Iran, secured qualification as one of the first teams for this major event. Assuredly, no one has the right to expel the Iranian national team from the World Cup participants; the only country potentially facing exclusion is one that merely holds the ‘host’ title yet proves incapable of ensuring the safety of the teams competing in this global spectacle,” the statement read, which was shared via stories on the official Instagram page of the Iranian squad (owned by Meta, whose activities are banned in Russia as extremist).
The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to run from June 11th through July 19th. Iran has been drawn into Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand, with their matches slated to take place on US soil.
On February 28th, the US and Israel initiated strikes against targets within Iran, including Tehran, resulting in reported destruction and civilian fatalities. Iran is conducting retaliatory strikes against Israeli territory as well as US military installations in the Middle East. The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks by the US and Israel, asserting that Moscow holds them entirely responsible for any adverse outcomes of this man-made crisis.
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