Iran cannot participate in World Cup, Sports Minister says

DUBAI – Iran cannot participate in the 2026 World Cup after co-host the United States launched air strikes against the country alongside Israel, killing its leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali said on March 11.

The US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran nearly two weeks ago, killing the Islamic Republic’s then supreme leader, leading to a region-wide conflict in the Gulf.

“Considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup,” the minister told state television.

The 48-team World Cup will be held in the US, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19.

“Our children are not safe and, fundamentally, such conditions for participation do not exist,” Mr Donyamali said.

“Given the malicious actions they have carried out against Iran, they have forced two wars on us over eight or nine months and have killed and martyred thousands of our people. Therefore, we certainly cannot have such a presence.”

It would be the first time a country withdrew from the football showpiece since France and India pulled out of the 1950 Finals in Brazil.

More than 1,300 Iranian civilians have been killed since the US and Israeli air strikes began on Feb 28, according to Iran’s United Nations ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani.

During the draw in December 2025, the Iranians were grouped with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand. All three of their Group G matches were scheduled to take place in the US, two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle.

Iran, who qualified for the tournament in March 2025, were the only nation missing from the March 3-4 FIFA planning summit for World Cup participants held in Atlanta.

Reuters has contacted the Iran football federation for comment, while there was no immediate comment from FIFA on a replacement if Iran followed through with a boycott.

FIFA regulations for the World Cup state that any team that withdraw from the tournament “no later than 30 days before the first match” will be fined at least 250,000 Swiss francs (S$408,000) by the FIFA disciplinary committee.

“Disciplinary sanctions may include the expulsion of the participating member association concerned from subsequent FIFA competitions and/or the replacement of the participating member association with another member association,” FIFA’s regulations say.

Earlier, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he had met US President Donald Trump, who told him he welcomed Iran’s participation in the 2026 World Cup.

Mr Trump had previously said “I really don't care” if Iran participated at the World Cup or not, but Infantino said he had a productive discussion with the president.

“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.

A source in Tehran familiar with the matter said the decision was not to attend the World Cup, while warmup games were also not possible because of the war.

The head of Iran’s football federation had on March 10 cast doubt on his country’s participation in the World Cup, saying that the Iranian women who played in the Asian Cup in Australia had been coerced into defecting.

“If the World Cup is like this, who in their right mind would send their national team to a place like this?” Mehdi Taj asked on Iranian state television.

On March 10 in Australia, players from Iran’s team claimed asylum.

Five players, including captain Zahra Ghanbari, slipped away from the team hotel under the cover of darkness to claim sanctuary from Australian officials, the Australian government announced.

Some of the players had been branded “wartime traitors” by Iranian state television after remaining silent during the national anthem before their opening loss to South Korea.

Every player saluted and sang the anthem before the next two group games. Iran lost both those matches and were eliminated after a defeat by the Philippines on March 8.

Taj claimed the five women players had been kidnapped and the team were obstructed as they tried to leave Australia.

“After the game, unfortunately, the Australian police came and intervened, removing one or two of the players from the hotel, according to the news we have,” he said.

Taj said that at the airport, the squad had trouble boarding their flight.

“They completely blocked them at the gate and told everyone to become refugees.”

In the latest developments, Australian police helped two more members of the Iranian delegation slip their minders to claim asylum, but one has changed her mind and decided to go back to Iran, the country’s interior minister said on March 11.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced in parliament the squad member’s decision to return home. Meanwhile, a player and a support staff member accepted the Australian government’s open offer of aid on March 10. REUTERS, AFP