Iran sports minister says team cannot play in World Cup

Iran’s sports minister said the country cannot take part in the 2026 FIFA World Cup after the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In an interview Tuesday with IRIB Sports Network, Sports and Youth Minister Ahmad Donyamali said Iran does not have the conditions to participate.

“Given that this corrupt government has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances do we have the appropriate conditions to participate in the World Cup,” Donyamali said. “Our boys are not safe, and conditions for participation do not exist.”

Donyamali added that “over the past eight or nine months, two wars have been imposed on us and several thousand of our people have been killed and martyred. Therefore, we definitely do not have the possibility for participation.”

Infantino said after a meeting with Trump on Wednesday that the U.S. president had made clear Iran would be allowed to play in the tournament.

“During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States,” Infantino said.

Iran are due to face New Zealand on June 15 in Los Angeles, Belgium on June 21 also in Los Angeles, and Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.

ESPN reported that because the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran is controlled by the Iranian government, any decision on whether the team participates will ultimately be made by political leaders in the country.

According to ESPN, if Iran withdraws from the tournament, the replacement would likely come from the Asian Football Confederation. Iraq would take Iran’s place if it loses its intercontinental playoff against either Bolivia or Suriname in Monterrey, Mexico, on March 31. If Iraq wins and qualifies, the next Asian team in line would be the United Arab Emirates.