The United States is ready to welcome Iran’s football team to the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite the ongoing conflict.
According to The Guardian, Iran cannot participate in the 2026 World Cup after the United States killed their leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the sports minister, Ahmad Donyamali, said on Wednesday.
“Considering that this corrupt regime [the US] has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup,” the minister told state television.
Donyamali’s comments came after the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, reported that Donald Trump had said Iran were “welcome” to play at the upcoming World Cup, despite the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Infantino said that during a meeting with Trump to discuss preparations for the competition, “we also spoke about the current situation in Iran”.
Infantino wrote on Instagram: “During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.”
Iranian officials suggested recently that the country’s participation was in some doubt because of the war, and last week, Trump said “I really don’t care” whether Iran takes part in the 48-nation tournament being co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Iran is scheduled to play group games against New Zealand and Belgium in Inglewood, California, and Egypt in Seattle. If the US and Iran finish second in their respective groups, they would meet on 3 July in Dallas.
