DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s sports minister said on Wednesday that the country would not be able to participate in the upcoming World Cup to be held in North America after the United States killed its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in its ongoing war.
“Because of the vile actions they have carried out against Iran — they have imposed two wars on us in just eight or nine months and have killed and martyred thousands of our citizens — we simply cannot participate in the World Cup,” Ahmad Donyamali told Iranian state television.
In a video released on Tuesday, Iran’s Minister of Sports and Youth said the players on his national team would not be safe in the United States.
Iran was scheduled to play in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15 and against Belgium on the 21st, before concluding the group stage against Egypt in Seattle on the 26th. The United States is co-hosting the tournament with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that “I really don’t care” whether Iran participates in the 48-team tournament.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he met with Trump on Tuesday night “to discuss the state of the preparations” for the tournament and received assurances that Iran would be allowed to travel to the United States.
“We also spoke about the current situation in Iran and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified to take part in the FIFA World Cup 2026,” Infantino added. “During the talks, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team, of course, is welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.”
Infantino maintains a close relationship with Trump, who was awarded the first FIFA Peace Prize. Many believe the sport’s governing body designed that honor with Trump in mind.
Iranian fans had already been barred from entering the United States under the initial version of the travel ban announced by the Trump administration.
“We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to unite people now more than ever,” Infantino emphasized.
He added that he is grateful to Trump “for his support.”
Earlier this week, the FIFA World Cup’s chief operating officer said the tournament is “too big” to be postponed because of the global turmoil sparked by the war between the United States and Israel against Iran.
Executive Director Heimo Schirgi said FIFA is watching the conflict with Iran closely.
“We basically take it day by day, and at some point we will reach a resolution,” he said. “And the World Cup will go on, obviously, right? The World Cup is too big, and we expect everyone who has qualified to participate.”
If the United States were to refuse to host the Iranian team, it could risk FIFA removing the host nation status from the country.
That is what happened in Indonesia three years ago, when the country refused to host Israel for the men’s under-20 World Cup, eight months after Israel qualified. FIFA banned Indonesia just weeks before the opening match and moved the tournament to Argentina.
