Watch: Iran may withdraw from the 2026 World Cup following the US assassination of its Supreme Leader.
On 1 March 2026, Mehdi Taj, president of the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI), revealed that the Iranian national team might withdraw from the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada from 11 June to 19 July.
The reason is that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, recently died early Sunday following a major attack carried out jointly by the United States and Israel.
The US and Israel launched airstrikes on key Iranian cities after weeks of rising diplomatic tensions. Iran responded with missile attacks on Israeli targets and US airbases in the Persian Gulf region, including strikes in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain.
This has led the FFIRI president to admit that it will be difficult for Iran to participate in the 2026 World Cup, and domestic leagues have already been suspended. "Given the recent events and the US attack, it is unlikely that we can look forward to the World Cup, but sports officials must make the final decision on this matter."
Iran is one of eight Asian nations to qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals and has been drawn into Group G. All three of Iran's group stage matches are scheduled to be played in the United States as follows.
15 June 2026: Iran vs New Zealand (SoFi Stadium - Los Angeles, California)
21 June 2026: Iran vs Belgium (SoFi Stadium - Los Angeles, California)
26 June 2026: Iran vs Egypt (Lumen Field - Seattle, Washington)
Meanwhile, FIFA is closely monitoring Iran's situation. FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström said, "We had a meeting today, and it is still too early to comment in detail, but we will keep track of developments worldwide on every issue."
FIFA confirmed their primary plan remains to have Iran participate in the 2026 World Cup as scheduled, pledging to do everything possible to ensure safety. "We will continue communication with the host governments of all three countries as usual. In any case, everyone will be safe."
If Iran does withdraw from the 2026 World Cup, Iraq or the UAE could potentially take their place. Iraq is already waiting in the intercontinental playoff finals, while the UAE lost to Iraq in the Asian final qualifying round. The final decision will depend on forthcoming deliberations among all parties involved.
