According to its Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali, Iran will not participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The reason is the recent conflict with the USA, during which Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed.
The tournament will take place in June and July in the host countries USA, Canada, and Mexico. Iran’s national team was supposed to play group stage matches in Los Angeles and Seattle.
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However, according to Donyamali, this will not happen. The ‘DPA’ quotes an interview on Iranian state television ‘IRIB’ as follows: “Since this corrupt government murdered our leader, there are no conditions under which we can participate in the World Cup.”
He also pointed to the severe consequences of the recent conflicts. “In light of the malicious actions against Iran, two wars have been imposed on us within eight or nine months, and several thousand of our people have been killed. Therefore, we definitely have no way to participate in this manner,” said Donyamali.
The statement contrasts with recent signals from Washington. Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, stated after talks with US President Donald Trump that the Iranian team is “of course welcome” to participate in the World Cup.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.
