President Trump's welcome message proved futile. Iran has officially announced it will not participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup scheduled for June in North America.
According to Al Jazeera on the 11th (local time), Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali said in an interview with state television, "Considering that the corrupt regime (the United States) assassinated our leader, we cannot participate in the World Cup under any circumstances."
He continued, "Our players are not safe, and the conditions for participation are not met. Over the past eight to nine months, two wars have been imposed on us. Thousands of our people have died and been martyred. Therefore, we clearly have no possibility of participating."
Iran has been in turmoil since U.S. and Israeli airstrikes beginning February 28, which killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Reports indicate 1,255 people have died and more than 12,000 have been injured.
The possibility of Iran's World Cup absence grew after Iranian Football Federation President Mehdi Taj said, "The decision should be made by sports officials," adding that "due to U.S. attacks, it seems difficult to expect World Cup participation." FIFA President Gianni Infantino subsequently conveyed President Trump's welcome message to the Iranian delegation, but a government official has now directly increased the likelihood of non-participation.
On the 10th, Infantino posted on his Instagram, "This evening I met with President Trump to discuss preparations for the upcoming World Cup and the growing excitement with 93 days until the opening."
In the post, Infantino stated, "We also discussed the current situation in Iran and the fact that the Iranian national football team has secured qualification for this World Cup," adding that "President Trump reaffirmed that he naturally welcomes the Iranian national team's participation in the tournament held in the United States."
Iran's national team was originally scheduled to play all Group G matches against New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt in the United States.