Iran says ‘no one can exclude’ soccer team from 2026 World Cup tournament

The Iranian men’s national soccer team has pushed back on speculation over the team’s status for the 2026 World Cup, which is largely taking place in the U.S., releasing a statement Thursday saying that “no one can exclude” the squad from competing. 

The statement posted on social media follows remarks from Iran’s sports minister casting doubt on the team’s participation, and President Donald Trump’s earlier remarks that the team would be welcome to compete but that it might not be “appropriate” as the conflict in the Middle East continues. 

“The World Cup is a historic and international event, and its governing body is FIFA — not any individual country. Iran’s national team, with strength and a series of decisive victories achieved by the brave sons of Iran, was among the first teams to qualify for this major tournament,” the statement posted to Instagram Stories read. 

“Certainly, no one can exclude Iran’s national team from the World Cup; the only country that could be excluded is one that merely carries the title of ‘host’ yet lacks the ability to provide security for the teams participating in this global event.”

Iran is scheduled to play in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 before finishing group play against Egypt in Seattle on June 26. The U.S. is hosting the tournament with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

Trump was indifferent last week when asked about Iran’s participation in the World Cup, telling Politico, “I really don’t care.” 

TRUMP SAYS IRAN’S WORLD CUP PARTICIPATION MAY NOT BE ‘APPROPRIATE,’ WHILE ADDING MEN’S TEAM IS STILL ‘WELCOME’

But earlier this week, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Trump “reiterated” to him in their recent talks that Iran’s soccer team would be “welcome to compete” in the U.S. 

“We also spoke about the current situation in Iran, and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026. 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 in a post shared on Instagram. 

 “We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever, and I sincerely thank the President of the United States for his support, as it shows once again that Football Unites the World.”

Iran’s sports minister claimed later that a squad could not be sent to the World Cup. 

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“Considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup,” ​​Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali told state television, via Reuters.

Trump doubled down in a Truth Social post on Thursday that Iran would be “welcome” to compete in the World Cup, but added, “I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.” 

Iran qualified for its fourth straight World Cup as the 20th-ranked team in the world by FIFA. The Iranian federation was unable to attend meetings in Atlanta last week to help teams prepare for the 48-nation tournament but is due to attend FIFA’s annual congress in Canada next month.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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