The participation of the selection of Iran in the 2026 World Cup was left in doubt after the country’s Sports Minister, Ahmad Donyamali, stated that the national team is not in a position to compete due to the conflict in the region.
In television statements cited by international media, the official assured that the political and military situation in the country makes it impossible to participate in the tournament that will be held in United States, Canada and Mexico.
“Definitely, we do not have any possibility of participating in this way,” said Donyamali, referring to the current context of war and the consequences that the conflict has left in recent months.
The war in the Middle East affects Iran’s participation
The decision is related to the escalation of violence in the Middle East and the attack that occurred on February 28 in which the Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, died.
According to the minister, the conflict and international reprisals have caused the death of thousands of citizens during the last eight or nine months, which has generated an internal crisis that also impacts sport.
Donyamali also harshly criticized the United States and Israel, whom he blamed for the attack against the Iranian regime, and stated that in this scenario there are no conditions for the team to travel to play in the tournament.
Iran’s group in the 2026 World Cup
Iran had been drawn in Group G of the 2026 World Cup, where they had to face:
Belgium
Egypt
New Zealand
The Asian team’s three games were scheduled on US soil: two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle.
Until now, the FIFA has not officially confirmed the withdrawal of the Iranian team from the tournament.
FIFA’s position
FIFA president Gianni Infantino had recently stated that Iran was welcome to participate in the World Cup.
Even the president of the United States, Donald Trump, assured after a meeting with the leader of the organization that the Iranian team would be received without restrictions.
“We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever,” Infantino said, referring to the tournament.
What the FIFA regulations say about the withdrawal of a team
If Iran decides to officially withdraw from the 2026 World Cup, the federation could face significant economic sanctions.
In addition, FIFA would have the power to replace the team with another team belonging to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), although it has not yet been defined what procedure would be applied in this case.
For now, the situation remains open while world football’s governing body evaluates the scenario and awaits official confirmation from the Iranian authorities.
