Iran has pulled out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup amid the United States and Israel’s ongoing Operation Epic Fury, the Iranian sports minister announced Wednesday (March 11) on Iranian state television.
“Given that this corrupt government assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup,” Ahmad Donyamali reportedly said, according to ESPN.
The decision came 12 days into the initial attack was launched on Iran, which resulted in Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei‘s assassination on the first day and eventual succession by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei. Iran was scheduled to compete in two June matches against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles before facing Egypt in their final group stage match in Seattle, but their participation was questioned when the U.S. and Israel began launching airstrikes on February 28.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino shared a post on social media claiming U.S. President Donald Trump assured him that the Iranian team would be “welcome” to compete in the North American hosted tournament and Trump, himself, publicly stated that he “really didn’t care” if Iran appeared at the World Cup earlier this month.
“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,” Infantino wrote on his Instagram account. “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. 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. ⚽️🌎🌍🌏❤️”
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