Iran has announced it will not take part in the 2026 FIFA World Cup following the joint United States and Israeli attacks that killed the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The decision was confirmed by Iran’s sports minister Ahmad Donyamali, who said the national team will not travel to the United States for the tournament.
Tensions in the Middle East have escalated sharply since the strikes. Iran has since retaliated with attacks on US military bases across the region, drawing several other countries into the conflict.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to be staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico in June and July.
Iran was drawn in a group that would see them face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and June 21, before a final group game against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
But Donyamali said the political situation makes participation impossible.Politics
“Since this corrupt government assassinated our leader, we have no conditions under which we can participate in the World Cup,” Donyamali said in a television interview (RTE).
“In view of the malicious measures taken against Iran, two wars were forced upon us within eight or nine months, and several thousand of our people were killed. Therefore, we definitely have no possibility of participating in this way.”
The announcement comes after FIFA president Gianni Infantino revealed he had spoken with US President Donald Trump about Iran’s participation in the tournament.
Infantino said he had received assurances that the Iranian team would be allowed to compete despite the rising tensions.
