Iranian Sports Minister rules out participation in World Cup in the US

Frankfurt (Germany), 11 March (LaPresse) – Iran may withdraw from participating in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donjamali ruled out the national team’s participation in the tournament in a television interview, despite an invitation from US President Donald Trump. This was reported by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. ‘Since this corrupt government assassinated our leader, under no circumstances do we have the conditions to participate in the World Cup,’ Donjamali said. Earlier, FIFA President Gianni Infantino reported that Trump had assured the Iranian national team that it would be able to participate in the tournament despite the conflict in the Middle East. ‘During the talks, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is of course welcome to take part in the tournament in the United States,’ Infantino said, stressing that ‘an event like the World Cup serves more than ever to unite people.’ However, the Iranian minister argued that the political and military situation makes participation impossible. ‘Due to hostile actions against Iran, two wars have been imposed on us in the last eight or nine months and several thousand of our citizens have been killed,’ he said. Similar positions were also expressed by the president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, who had raised the possibility of not sending the national team to the United States if the tournament took on a political dimension. It is unclear whether the minister’s statements represent a final decision. Iran was among the first teams to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, securing its place in March last year. The tournament will begin on 11 June, with all of the Iranian national team’s group matches scheduled to be played in the United States.