Iran’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup has come under serious doubt following escalating geopolitical tensions involving the United States and Israel.
According to Iran’s sports minister, Ahmad Donyamali, the country may not take part in the tournament after the United States and Israel carried out airstrikes on Iranian territory.
The attacks reportedly killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and triggered a wider conflict across the Gulf region.
Speaking on Iranian state television, Donyamali suggested that the current situation makes participation in the global football tournament impossible for the country.
“Considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup,” he said.
The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to be hosted jointly by the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19.
However, the current security situation and political tensions have raised serious concerns among Iranian authorities about sending their national team to compete in the tournament.
Donyamali further emphasised that the safety of Iranian citizens remains a priority, adding that the circumstances surrounding the conflict make participation unrealistic.
“Our children are not safe and, fundamentally, such conditions for participation do not exist,” he stated.
He also accused the United States and its allies of escalating hostilities in the region.
“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.”
Iran had already secured qualification for the upcoming World Cup, marking the nation’s fourth consecutive appearance at the tournament.
During the official draw held in December, the team was placed in Group G alongside the Belgium national football team, the Egypt national football team and the New Zealand national football team.
All three of Iran’s group matches were scheduled to be played in the United States, with two fixtures set for Los Angeles and the final match planned for Seattle.
In a further sign of uncertainty, Iran was notably absent from a recent FIFA planning summit held in Atlanta for participating nations preparing for the tournament.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump appeared unconcerned about whether Iran would eventually take part in the competition.
“I really don’t care,” Trump said when asked about Iran’s potential participation.
“I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes.”
Despite the political tension, Iran’s national team had been preparing for the competition and were scheduled to begin their campaign against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles before concluding the group stage against Egypt in Seattle.
The situation has created uncertainty within Iran’s football leadership. Mehdi Taj acknowledged that the current circumstances have cast doubt on the country’s involvement in the tournament.
He indicated that officials within Iran’s sports administration would assess the situation before making a final decision regarding the team’s participation.
At the international level, FIFA has maintained that its primary concern remains ensuring a safe and inclusive tournament environment.
FIFA’s General Secretary Mattias Grafstrom stressed the organisation’s commitment to a secure event for all teams.
“Our focus is to have a safe World Cup with everybody participating,” he said.
