It has been confirmed that Iran has finalized its decision to withdraw from the 2026 FIFA World Cup following disputes with the United States.
On 11 March 2026, Ahmad Donyamali, Iran’s Minister of Sports, announced that Iran can no longer participate in the 2026 World Cup after the United States carried out an operation that assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's Supreme Leader.
The United States will co-host the 2026 World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico, but Iran’s three group stage matches in Group G were scheduled to be held in U.S. cities Los Angeles and Seattle.
The Middle East conflict involving the U.S. and Israel against Iran began on 28 February, resulting in 1,255 deaths and over 12,000 injuries within the first 12 days. Iran retaliated by launching missile and drone attacks on Israel, multiple U.S. military bases in the Middle East, and regional infrastructure.
Ahmad Donyamali told the state broadcaster RTE today, “Considering that this corrupt regime, the United States, has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup.”
“Our people are not safe, and fundamentally, the environment to partake in such a competition does not exist. With their hostile actions against Iran, they have waged two wars against us within eight or nine months, killing thousands of our citizens. Therefore, we cannot attend the competition.”