Iran, one of the first teams to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, say they intend to be at the tournament, despite US President Donald Trump saying their participation would be “inappropriate”.
Image: Atta Kenare/AFP
With just 87 days to go until the 2026 World Cup in North America, there has been very little indication that Iran will withdraw from the tournament.
For the past three weeks, the country has been engaged in a war that was started by the United States – the World Cup co-hosts – and Israel. Coordinated strikes on various sites within Iran resulted in the death of the nation’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
This has ignited discussions about Iran potentially withdrawing from the tournament.
In an unusually short post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump said it wouldn’t be appropriate for the country to be present at the World Cup.
“The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety,” the 79-year-old wrote on the social media platform that he owns.
However, the Iran national team took to their social media pages to hit back at Trump.
“The World Cup is a historic and international event and its governing body is FIFA – not any individual country,” the team said.
“Iran’s national team, with strength and a series of decisive victories achieved by the brave sons of Iran, was among the first teams to qualify for this major tournament.”
“Certainly no one can exclude Iran’s national team from the World Cup; the only country that can be excluded is one that merely carries the title of ‘host’ yet lacks the ability to provide security for the teams participating in this global event.”
Should Iran ultimately be forced to withdraw from the tournament, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates are considered the favourites to be nominated by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) as replacements.
Speculation persists about whether the country will pull out of the World Cup. Just last week, Iran’s sports minister said it was “impossible” for the country to participate after the killing of their Supreme Leader.
"Considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup," Donyamali told state television.
Despite that, AFC officials say they have been told the team intend to honour their commitments at the World Cup.
"It's a very emotional moment. Everybody's saying a lot of things," AFC general secretary Windsor John told reporters in Kuala Lumpur recently.
"At the end of the day, it's the federation who should decide if they're playing, and as of today, the federation has told us that they are going to the World Cup.”
With the tournament fast approaching, the coming weeks will determine whether the political tension surrounding Iran spills fully into the sporting arena. For now, the signals from those closest to the team suggest that, despite the extraordinary circumstances back home, the intention is still to compete.
IOL Sport