Iran’s Minister of Sports, Ahman Donyamali, stated that the Persian national team will not participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The announcement was made in the early hours of March 11, days after the military escalation by the United States and Israel against Iran, during which Ali Khamenei, the country’s Supreme Leader, was killed.
The 2026 World Cup will be held in Mexico, Canada, and the United States from June 11 to July 19. This edition will be the most ambitious yet, as the number of participating national teams and the total number of matches have been expanded.
“After the corrupt government killed our leader, there are no conditions that would allow us to participate in the World Cup,” the Sports Minister said, according to statements reported by outlets such as ESPN. “Considering the malicious actions carried out against Iran, they have imposed two wars on us in eight or nine months, and thousands of our citizens have died. Therefore, we definitely have no possibility of such participation,” he added.
Hours before these remarks, FIFA President Gianni Infantino had guaranteed that the Iranian team would face no problems playing in the World Cup. Infantino said he had met with U.S. President Donald Trump, who assured him that the Persian team would be “welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.”
“This afternoon, I met with the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, to discuss the state of preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup and the growing excitement as the tournament begins in just 93 days,” Infantino wrote on his Instagram account.
© Getty Images“We also spoke about the current situation in Iran and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. During the conversation, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States,” he added.
Iran’s national team had been scheduled to play its three group-stage matches in the United States. On June 15 and June 21, they were set to play in Los Angeles against New Zealand and Belgium, respectively. On June 26, they were scheduled to face Egypt in Seattle. Although the Iranian team and coaching staff were welcome in the United States, President Trump announced last November that, for security reasons, fans of the Iranian national team would not be granted visas to enter the country.
Fines for Iran’s withdrawal
The previously cited outlet reported that the Persian team will face financial and sporting sanctions for withdrawing, according to tournament regulations. Since the withdrawal occurred more than 30 days before the start of the competition, FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee would impose a fine on the Iranian Football Federation of at least $323,730.
In addition, the federation will have to reimburse the funds received from FIFA for preparing the national team.
Iran Women’s Team Players Seek Asylum in Australia
Meanwhile, five players from Iran’s women’s national football team requested political asylum in Australia during the Women’s Asian Cup.
© Getty ImagesThe players refused to sing Iran’s national anthem before a match against South Korea last week. The gesture was considered an offense to the regime, which accused them of being “traitors in wartime.” Australian authorities then initiated protocols to guarantee their safety.
Immigration Minister Tony Burke said the women were moved to a secure location. He also added that the remaining members of the team were informed they could stay in the country if they wished.
Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh, and Mona Hamoudi were granted humanitarian asylum and are currently under the protection of Australian authorities. “They want to make it clear that they are not political activists. They are athletes who want to be safe,” Burke said about the players.
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