Iran’s national team will not play in the 2026 World Cup. The decision was announced by Iran’s sports minister, Ahmad Donyamali, who said the country does not have the conditions to compete while the armed conflict with the United States and the political crisis affecting the regime continue.
The announcement confirms a rumor that had been circulating for days among fans of the sport and international football federations, three months before the tournament organized by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, scheduled to begin on June 11.
The Iranian government says that the internal situation, marked by bombings, thousands of deaths, and a sharp military escalation, makes the participation of the national team impossible. The decision comes just months before the start of the championship and after Iran had already qualified for the tournament’s final stage.
Iran will not participate in the 2026 World Cup
Minister Ahmad Donyamali was categorical in explaining the reason for the withdrawal. According to statements he made to state television, there are no security guarantees or political conditions for the national team to represent the country at an international event. “Our children are not safe and, fundamentally, there are no conditions to participate,” the official said in justifying the withdrawal.
The Iranian government directly blames the United States for the military escalation in the region. According to authorities in Tehran, recent military attacks caused the death of Iran’s supreme leader, the ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a joint operation with Israel. That episode marked a turning point in the conflict and triggered a political and military response that has led the country to close ranks against the West.
In that context, participation in a tournament whose main host is the United States was considered politically unviable. The minister said the country is going through a moment of national mourning and that it would be impossible to compete on an international stage while clashes and diplomatic tensions continue.
Iran’s withdrawal poses an unexpected problem for the organization of the tournament. The Asian team had already qualified and had been placed in Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand. Its opening-round matches were scheduled to be played in cities on the West Coast of the United States, such as Los Angeles and Seattle.
War reaches Iranian sports
If the decision is ultimately confirmed, it would become one of the most unusual episodes in the recent history of the FIFA World Cup: The withdrawal of a country that had already secured qualification on the field. FIFA will now have to evaluate how to reorganize the group or decide which team will take the vacant spot.
The organization’s rules contemplate sanctions for federations that withdraw from the competition after qualifying. Possible measures include financial fines or even suspensions from future tournaments, although there has not yet been an official statement regarding the Iranian case.
Uncertainty also extends to the tournament’s logistics. The 2026 World Cup will be the first with 48 teams and will be played in three countries. Any change in the list of participants would require revising the schedule and the format of some groups.
On the other hand, beyond the men’s World Cup, the war and the complicated political context also echoed this week in women’s football in the Islamic country. At the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, six players from Iran chose to remain in Australia, protected by humanitarian visas granted by the host government.
This situation prompted the president of the Iran Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, to suggest a possible boycott and to point directly at the White House. Meanwhile, the U.S. president, Donald Trump, said his country would facilitate the humanitarian measure allowing asylum for the six Iranian athletes if necessary.
Australia is facing pressure to protect the Iranian women’s soccer team, the Lionesses, as the squad faces criticism at home over their failure to sing the national anthem at a Women’s Asian Cup match on the Gold Coast last week https://t.co/L1JfdJassf
— Bloomberg (@business) March 9, 2026
Political tensions and international pressure
The political conflict had already cast doubt on Iran’s presence in the championship before the official announcement. Tensions between Washington and Tehran had raised questions about visas for Iranian players, delegations, and fans who were expected to travel to U.S. territory.
Despite those tensions, FIFA had insisted that the team would be welcome. The organization’s president, Gianni Infantino, said he had received guarantees from the U.S. government that the Iranian national team would be able to participate without restrictions. Even President Donald Trump himself had minimized the issue, saying that Iran would be accepted in the tournament.
However, the deterioration of the military situation ultimately tipped the balance. For the Iranian government, traveling to the United States in the midst of an open war would be incompatible with the domestic political climate and with the message it seeks to convey to its population.
The armed conflict in the Middle East began just two weeks ago, with the attack by Israel and the United States on military targets in Iran that resulted in the killing of the Iranian supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and other key government officials, including the defense minister.
Tehran’s response was to attack not only Israel but also U.S. military bases located in countries of the Persian Gulf. The conflict thus escalated to a regional level, even affecting Cyprus, a member of the European Union, and Turkey, a member of NATO, although neither has received direct attacks with consequences.