Iran will not participate at the 2026 North American World Cup, according to the country’s sports minister Ahmad Donyamali.
Iran’s participation in the tournament co-hosted by the United States has been in doubt after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran starting on Saturday, Feb. 28.
The military campaign killed the nation’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of top officials. Iran has responded with attacks on several U.S. military facilities and other targets around the Middle East.
Amid the growing conflict, Donyamali said that it was not feasible for Iran to send a team to the United States in just three months.
“Considering that this corrupt regime [the US] has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup,” Donyamali told state television. “Our children are not safe and, fundamentally, such conditions for participation do not exist.
“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 thousands of our people. Therefore, we definitely have no possibility of participating in this way.”
The World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico between June 11 and July 19.
Iran is currently scheduled to play New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
Donyamali’s comments came after FIFA president Gianni Infantino said that U.S. President Donald Trump told him that Iran would be “welcome” at the World Cup despite the ongoing conflict.
But last week, Trump said in an interview with Politico that he didn’t care if Iran played at the World Cup.
USA TODAY Sports reached out to FIFA for comment on Donyamali’s declaration that Iran wouldn’t participate at the World Cup. The governing body said it had nothing to add beyond Infantino’s statement on his meeting with Trump.
Under FIFA regulations, the governing body has broad latitude to replace a country that withdraws from a World Cup.
According to Article 6.7 of FIFA’s World Cup regulations: “If any Participating Member Association withdraws and/or is excluded from the FIFA World Cup 26, FIFA shall decide on the matter at its sole discretion and take whatever action is deemed necessary.”
The next team up could be Iraq, which qualified for an inter-confederation playoff later this month in Mexico. Iraq will face either Bolivia or Suriname on March 31 with a spot in the World Cup on the line.
But Iraq has also been caught up in the conflict. With the country’s airspace currently closed and domestic-based players unable to travel, head coach Graham Arnold recently requested a delay in his country’s World Cup playoff match.
