Iran’s sports minister said Wednesday that Iran would not take part in the 2026 World Cup, citing airstrikes carried out in the country by the tournament co-host, the US, alongside Israel.

“Since this corrupt government assassinated our leader, we have no conditions under which we can participate in the World Cup,” the minister, Ahmad Donyamali, said on state television.

“Our children are not safe,” he added.

Federation chief floats boycott, cites Australia precedent

It is not yet clear whether the decision is final. But Mehdi Taj, the president of the Iranian Football Federation, has raised the prospect of a boycott.

“What reasonable person would send their national team to the US if the World Cup is going to be as political as it was in Australia?” he told the Isna news agency.

He pointed to the Asian Cup in Australia, where five players from Iran’s women’s football team were granted asylum after refusing to sing the national anthem before their first match, fearing persecution if they returned home.

FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, said on Instagram that US President Donald Trump told him during a meeting on Tuesday that Iran’s team “is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States” despite the war.

Trump had previously said “I really don’t care” whether Iran participates in the World Cup or not.

Iran scheduled for matches in US cities

Iran is among the 48 nations qualified for this year’s World Cup, to be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Iran, who dominated the Asian qualifying rounds, was the only nation missing from the FIFA planning summit held last week in Atlanta, US.

The team is scheduled to play on June 15 against New Zealand, then face Belgium and Egypt later in the five-week tournament. All three matches are set to take place in US cities.

According to FIFA rules, any team that withdraws from the tournament “no later than 30 days before the first match” will be fined at least 250,000 Swiss francs ($320,800, €277,049).

Sanctions may also include expelling the federation from future FIFA competitions and replacing the team with another country.

Edited by: Alex Berry

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is gearing up for fight number 69 after suffering just the third defeat of his career last year.

The Mexican icon was relieved of his undisputed super-middleweight world championship by Terence Crawford last year, his first loss at 168lbs and third overall after coming up short against Floyd Mayweather in 2013 and Dmitry Bivol in 2022.

With Crawford’s retirement taking a rematch off the table for Canelo, he has announced his return on a September card in Saudi Arabia, a fight that boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh says will come with a world title.

In an interview with Bowks talking Bouts, Christian Mbilli – who was elevated from interim to full champion when Crawford was stripped of the belt – made it clear he wants to be the man in the opposite corner.

“For me, my goal right now is to fight Canelo because I was [the] long time number one WBC challenger. Number one challenger, number one on WBC for Canelo. Now I have to show that I am the number one of the division.”

Mbilli fought on the Canelo–Crawford undercard, drawing with Crawford stablemate Lester Martinez to retain the belt. The Cameroon-born Frenchman said, in the same interview, that he intends to rematch Martinez down the line.

The fight with Alvarez has little to no obstacles and plenty of weight behind it: Turki Alalshikh, Canelo’s good standing with the WBC and his number one ranking, and it being undoubtedly the most lucrative option for Mbilli. If the Mexican wants to test himself, the opportunity is there.

The Baltimore Ravens’ sudden change from Maxx Crosby to Trey Hendrickson raised eyebrows across the NFL. The franchise agreed to acquire the Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher in exchange for two first-round picks on Saturday. However, the deal collapsed after Crosby reportedly failed his physical due to concerns tied to his torn meniscus that was surgically repaired in January.

The Ravens pivoted to the Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Hendrickson, reportdly agreeing to terms on a four-year, $112 million deal on Wednesday.

Tom Brady’s former Patriots teammate, Ross Tucker, questioned the team’s motives.

“If the Ravens end up signing Trey Hendrickson, that’s going to invite all kinds of speculation that they actually had buyer’s remorse with Maxx Crosby and that it wasn’t really a failed physical,” Tucker said on Wednesday on the “Ross Tucker Podcast.”

“Now, the Ravens could argue, ‘We need an elite edge rusher. It’s critical to our defense. Max failed the physical. We got to get somebody available, but there’s also something to be said for we’re a couple days into free agency.’”

He also analyzed what could have been the franchise’s reason.

“Hendrickson’s market probably not what he thought it would be,” Tucker said.

“Did the Ravens maybe realize they could get a very good player for less money than Crosby and no first round picks and not coming off of a meniscus repair? That’s a distinct possibility. And that’s what we’re going to be screaming about if and only the Ravens sign Trey Hendrickson.”

Baltimore turned to Hendrickson just hours after it backed out of the Crosby trade. The canceled deal would have cost the team two first-round picks, while Hendrickson required only cap space.

Also Read: Kay Adams mocks Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti for signing Trey Hendrickson after backing out of Maxx Crosby trade

Also Read: Caleb Williams stirs Maxx Crosby-Bears trade rumors with cryptic post after Ravens agree to terms with Trey Hendrickson

Multiple doctors reviewed Maxx Crosby’s medicals before Ravens canceled the trade

The Baltimore Ravens’ decision to cancel their trade for Maxx Crosby was reportedly based on evaluations from several medical experts.

Multiple physicians reviewed the Raiders pass rusher’s MRI scans and conducted examinations before the team decided not to proceed with the deal. One of the doctors involved was Dallas Cowboys team physician Daniel Cooper, who previously performed surgery on Patrick Mahomes and Malik Nabers.

The Ravens were set to give up two first-round picks for Crosby. However, medical projections regarding his recovery from knee surgery led the team to halt the transaction.