Iran’s Sports Minister has confirmed the nation will not participate in the 2026 World Cup after war broke out between Iran and the US. Joint American and Israeli military strikes have been ongoing against the country since February 28.The bombardment has prompted retaliation from Tehran amid escalating regional turmoil, with neighbouring Middle East nations drawn into the conflict.Donald Trump’s America will co-host the summer tournament alongside Mexico and Canada.
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Iran’s Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamal said on TV: “Since this corrupt government assassinated our leader, we have no conditions under which we can participate in the World Cup.”In view of the malicious measures taken against Iran, two wars were forced upon us within eight or nine months, and several thousand of our people were killed.”Therefore, we definitely have no possibility of participating in this way.”It comes after Gianni Infantino revealed that US President Donald Trump has assured Fifa that Iran is “welcome” to compete.Earlier this month, Mr Trump said he “really didn’t care” whether Iran played or not.However, the US President has now changed his stance and is supportive of the team’s involvement, according to Fifa president Infantino.After a meeting between the two men, Infantino wrote on social media: “This evening, I met with the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump to discuss the status of preparations for the upcoming Fifa World Cup, and the growing excitement as we are set to kick off in just 93 days.”We also spoke about the current situation in Iran, and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified to participate in the Fifa World Cup 2026.He added: “During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.”We all need an event like the Fifa World Cup to bring people together now more than ever, and I sincerely thank the President of the United States for his support, as it shows once again that Football Unites the World.”Iran was due to play all three of their group G games in the US, facing Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand.They will now most likely be replaced by Iraq or the United Arab Emirates.Fifa has sole discretion over the replacement but is expected to choose a team from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to maintain regional balance.Iraq is currently the frontrunner as it is the highest-ranked Asian team that has not yet secured a direct spot and beat Dubai in a World Cup qualifier in Novermber last year.The UAE finished behind Iran in the qualifying groups, making them the next logical choice.Two other options include Italy, which is the globally highest-ranked team that failed to qualify, or Fifa could opt not to replace Iran entirely.Our Standards:
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