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in brief
- Iran is looking to exit the FIFA World Cup, with Iraq a likely replacement, if confirmed.
- The tournament is taking place in June across North America.
The Iranian national football team is set to skip the FIFA World Cup 2026, with safety concerns cited as the primary reason, according to Iran’s sports minister.
Ahmad Donyamali made this announcement on Wednesday evening amid escalating conflict in the Middle East. The ongoing war has resulted in approximately 2,000 fatalities in Iran and Lebanon, as reported by Reuters.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reported that over 1,100 children have been killed or injured in the conflict.
Although tensions persist between Iran and countries like Israel and the United States, the U.S. had confirmed that Iran’s team was welcome to participate in the World Cup, slated to be held in North America. This would have marked Iran’s fourth consecutive appearance at the tournament.
The Iranian minister’s announcement raises serious questions about the national team’s participation. However, the final decision will rest with The Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran.
It comes shortly after members of the Iranian women’s football team claimed asylum while touring Australia this week.
‘Absolutely no way’, Donyamali says
Donyamali said that the “conditions needed” for Iran to participate in the World Cup “do not exist”.
“Since this corrupt regime has killed our leader, there is absolutely no way we can join the World Cup. Our children are not safe,” he said, according to CBS Sports.
“Because of their hostile actions against Iran, they have pushed two wars on us within eight or nine months and have caused the deaths and martyrdom of thousands of our people. For that reason, we cannot appear at the tournament.”
His statement came after FIFA president Gianni Infantino and US president Donald Trump talked about Iran’s participation on Tuesday.
They said the Iranian team would still be allowed to compete when the World Cup begins on 11 June in the US, Mexico and Canada.
“Tonight I met with the President of the United States, Donald J Trump, to talk about preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup and the rising excitement as the event is now only 93 days away,” Infantino wrote on social media.
“We also discussed the current situation in Iran and the fact that the Iranian team has earned a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“President Trump repeated that the Iranian team is welcome to play in the tournament in the United States.”
Who could replace Iran?
FIFA has not confirmed that Iran has officially withdrawn from the competition, nor has it said which team would take Iran’s place at the time of publishing.
Iraq is considered the most likely replacement as the next eligible team from the Asian Football Confederation.
Iran is placed in Group G and is set to play New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles; it is then set to face Egypt in Seattle.
However the replacement team would not have to come from the same federation as Iran.
Women’s players offered asylum in Australia
Meanwhile, six people connected to the Iranian women’s football team, the Lionesses, have been granted asylum in Australia.
The team had been in the country playing as part of the Women’s Asian Cup when members requested protection.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed Australia privately offered asylum to most of the Iranian women’s football players during their visit. Seven accepted while some declined, and one of the seven later changed her mind.
Burke had earlier on Wednesday confirmed that a player and a support staff member had been offered protection, after five players broke free from their Iranian handlers and were granted protection overnight on Tuesday.
He said when the team touched down in Sydney before flying out of the country, Home Affairs officials individually took all players and their support people into a room — without minders present — to extend them a similar offer.
After flying out of Sydney, the remaining cohort landed in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Wednesday morning.
There are fears for the team’s safety on their return to Iran after they were labelled “wartime traitors” by Iranian state media for refusing to sing the national anthem before their opening match.
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