Iran withdraws from 2026 FIFA World Cup

• Posted on March 12, 2026March 12, 2026
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Iran has confirmed that it will not participate in the upcominh 2026 FIFA World Cup, citing the ongoing conflict involving host nation the United States.

The announcement was made by Iran’s Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamal, who stated that the current geopolitical situation makes it impossible for the country to take part in the global tournament.

Iran’s participation had already been uncertain after military tensions escalated last month when the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran. The attacks reportedly resulted in the death of the country’s supreme leader and triggered retaliatory actions from Tehran against US-allied states in the Gulf, further intensifying the crisis.

When asked about the situation previously, US President Donald Trump told Politico that he was not concerned about Iran’s participation.

Prior to the official announcement, the president of the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran, Mehdi Taj, had already indicated that the country’s involvement in the tournament appeared unlikely given the political tensions.

Confirming the decision during a televised interview reported by RTÉ, Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamal made it clear that Iran would not compete under the current circumstances.

“Since this corrupt government assassinated our leader, we have no conditions under which we can participate in the World Cup,” he said.

“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 2026 World Cup is scheduled to take place across United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. Iran had been drawn to face New Zealand national football team, Belgium national football team, and Egypt national football team during the group stage, with matches scheduled in Los Angeles and Seattle.

Earlier, Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, had revealed that he received assurances from President Trump that Iran would be welcome to compete in the tournament despite the political tensions.

Infantino noted that he discussed preparations for the competition during a recent meeting with the US president and reiterated FIFA’s hope that the World Cup would unite people across the world.

Iran had secured qualification for the tournament after finishing top of Group A in Asian qualifiers, marking their fourth consecutive World Cup appearance. The team was expected to base its training camp at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, but those plans are now effectively cancelled following the government’s decision.