Amid the ongoing war between the United States and Iran, an Iranian government official has officially announced the country's withdrawal from the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, sparking speculation about potential replacement teams.
According to foreign media reports compiled on the 12th, FIFA has no clear regulations regarding replacement team selection if Iran withdraws. The governing body would effectively need to find a substitute at its discretion. The most likely scenario currently discussed involves Iraq—which advanced to the intercontinental playoff by winning the Asian fifth-round qualifiers—taking Iran's spot, while the United Arab Emirates, which lost to Iraq in the fifth round, would proceed to the intercontinental playoff in Iraq's place.
Iran is grouped with Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand in Group G of the North American World Cup. Under the current schedule, all their matches would be played in the United States.
According to the Associated Press, Iranian Sports and Youth Minister Ahmad Donyamali said in an interview with Iranian state television on the 11th (local time): "Iran's participation in the World Cup is impossible given that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the American invasion."
He added: "Our national team players would not be safe in the United States. The U.S. has forced two wars upon us in just eight to nine months, killing and martyring thousands of our people. Participation in this World Cup is clearly impossible."
With the World Cup opening just three months away, if Iran ultimately confirms its withdrawal, it would mark the first time in 76 years—since India's withdrawal from the 1950 Brazil World Cup—that a country has dropped out after the group draw was completed.
