Iran’s sports minister, Ahmad Donyamali, announced on Wednesday that the country’s national football team will not participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup under any circumstances, reports Baltimore Chronicle. This statement marks the first official comment from a member of the Iranian government regarding the tournament since the United States, one of the World Cup co-hosts, began airstrikes on Iran with Israeli support ten days ago, an operation which resulted in the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Donyamali told state television that “considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup. 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 and martyred thousands of our people. Therefore, we certainly cannot have such a presence.”
Earlier, Mehdi Taj, president of Iran’s football federation, had commented on the situation immediately after the airstrikes, saying that “we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” though he deferred the final decision to government authorities.
The timing of Donyamali’s remarks coincides with FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s recent meeting with former U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, during which Trump reportedly confirmed that Iran would be welcome to compete in the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Infantino later shared on Instagram that discussions with Trump included “the status of preparations” for the World Cup and the “current situation in Iran, and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026.”
Iran has been drawn into Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand, with all matches scheduled in the United States, two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle. According to FIFA statutes, any unilateral withdrawal could result in disciplinary measures, including fines ranging from €275,000 to €555,000 and potential bans from future tournaments. Such a withdrawal would be unprecedented in modern World Cup history; no team has pulled out after the draw since France and India declined participation in 1950 due to travel costs.
Iran was notably absent from a FIFA planning summit for World Cup teams held last week in Atlanta, reflecting ongoing tensions and the uncertain status of their participation.
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