FIFA World Cup: New twist in Iran’s participation in the US

Iran’s Minister of Sports and Youth Ahmad Donyamali has revealed that the country is in no position to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

This follows a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran on 28 February which claimed the life country’s leader Ali Khamenei.

There have been suggestions that the Iran national team could pull out of the FIFA World Cup which gets underway in just over 90 days.

Iran are in Group G alongside Belgium, New Zealand and Egypt, and they are scheduled to play all of them in the US.

Now, despite FIFA President Gianni Infantino telling the world that US President Donald Trump has no issues with Iran participating in the World Cup, their Minister of Sports and Youth isn’t buying the story.

According to Donyamali, Iran national team is not safe at all, adding that the conditions for participation do not exit.

Also read | FIFA World Cup: Will Iran be at the finals amid US-Israeli attack?

FIFA WORLD CUP: SPORTS MINISTER’S STANCE ON IRAN’S PARTICIPATION

“Given that this corrupt government has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances do we have the appropriate conditions to participate in the World Cup,” Donyamali told IRIB Sports Network as per BBC.

“Our boys are not safe, and conditions for participation do not exist.”

“Over the past eight or nine months, two wars have been imposed on us and several thousand of our people have been killed and martyred. Therefore, we definitely do not have the possibility for participation.”

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IRAN’S SEVENTH APPERANCE IN DOUBT

Should Iran decide otherwise, it would be their seventh FIFA World Cup appearance in the history of their national team.

Their first appearance was in 1978 but they had to wait for another 20 years to return to the world stage in 1998.

Iran’s other four appearances were in 2006 (Germany), 2014 (Brazil), 2018 (Russia) and 2022 (Qatar).