Iran will not play at the World Cup, the nation’s sports minister has confirmed amid the ongoing conflict with host country the United States.
The Middle Eastern nation’s place at this summer’s tournament has been in doubt since the US and Israel joined forces to launch wide-ranging strikes on Iran late last month, killing the country’s supreme leader.
Iran responded to the strikes by launching attacks on US-allied states in the Gulf, further escalating the conflict.
When asked about Iran’s participation at the World Cup by Politico last week, US President Trump replied: ‘I really don’t care’.
The head of Iran’s football federation, Mehdi Taj, recently stated it is ‘unlikely that we can look forward to the cup’ amid the conflict, with suggestions the country could withdraw.
Now, Iran sports minister Ahmad Donyamal has said that there are ‘no conditions under which we can participate’ and there is ‘no possibility’ that they will feature at the tournament.
‘Since this corrupt government assassinated our leader, we have no conditions under which we can participate in the World Cup,’ Ahmad Donyamal said in a television interview on Wednesday via RTE.
‘In view of the malicious measures taken against Iran, two wars were forced upon us within eight or nine months, and several thousand of our people were killed. Therefore, we definitely have no possibility of participating in this way.’
Iran’s sports minister says the nation will not compete at the FIFA World Cup this summer
The World Cup will be staged across the US, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, with Iran due to face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on 15 and 21 June respectively, as well as Egypt in Seattle on 26 June.
It comes after FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who had awarded Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize in December, revealed that he had received assurances from the US president Donald Trump that the Iranian football team would be ‘welcome’ at the tournament.
‘This evening, I met with the President of the United States, Donald J Trump to discuss the status of preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, and the growing excitement as we are set to kick off in just 93 days,’ Infantino said in a statement.
‘We also spoke about the current situation in Iran, and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026.
‘During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.
‘We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever, and I sincerely thank the President of the United States for his support, as it shows once again that Football Unites the World.’
Iran secured their place in a fourth successive World Cup by finishing top of Group A in Asian qualifying, marking them as one of the strongest teams in the AFC.
The team was slated to be based at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, for the duration of the event, but those plans are now in significant jeopardy.
