Iran's Sports Minister announced that the national team will not participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted by the United States, following the killing of their Supreme Leader in a U.S.-Israeli attack.
On 11 Mar 2026 GMT+7, Ahmad Donyamali, Iran's Minister of Sports and Youth, stated that the Iranian men's national football team is not in a position to join the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Donyamali told IRIB Sports Network, “Because this corrupt government assassinated our leader, we have no suitable conditions to participate in the World Cup under any circumstances... Our players are unsafe, and the conditions to participate no longer exist.”
The Sports Minister added, “In the past 8 or 9 months, we have been forced into two wars, resulting in thousands of our people dying and sacrificing their lives. Therefore, there is absolutely no possibility for us to participate in the competition.”
On Tuesday, Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian Football Federation, also questioned Iran's ability to participate in the World Cup, though for different reasons.
Previously, six players from Iran's women's national football team applied for asylum in Australia after attending the AFC Women's Asian Cup, citing safety concerns if they returned home due to not singing the national anthem before matches. All six were granted humanitarian visas by Australia.
Taj said, “Considering the problems faced by the female footballers, if the overall situation of the World Cup is like this, no sensible person would agree to send a team to the United States.”
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Source:bbc