Iran signals 2026 World Cup boycott after US strikes

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