Shadow of War Over the World Cup
WANA (Mar 12) – “Our team members will not be safe attending the World Cup. After our leader was killed by the current U.S. government, there are no longer any conditions for participating in the World Cup.”
These were the words of Ahmad Donyamali, Iran’s Minister of Sports and Youth, in an interview with state television on Wednesday afternoon (March 11). His remarks openly raised the possibility that Iran’s national football team might not take part in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite having already qualified for the tournament on sporting merit.
Referring to the ongoing war and rising tensions in recent months, Donyamali added: “Over the past eight to nine months, two wars were imposed on our country and thousands of our people lost their lives. Under such circumstances, participation in the competition is practically impossible.”
However, it remains unclear whether these statements indicate a definitive decision by Iran to withdraw from the tournament or are merely a political warning amid the current crisis.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 18, 2026, hosted jointly by the United States, Mexico, and Canada—a tournament for which Iran had already secured qualification.
According to the draw, Iran has been placed in a group with Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand. Two of Iran’s group-stage matches were scheduled to be played in Los Angeles, with another set for Seattle.
Donyamali’s remarks came just one day after Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, said he had discussed World Cup preparations and Iran’s situation during a meeting with Donald Trump, the President of the United States.
Infantino said Trump emphasized that he welcomes the participation of Iran’s national team in the tournament, noting that such events can bring people around the world closer together.
In Tehran, however, many observers are following this message cautiously—and with some skepticism.
In recent years, Iran has been one of Asia’s regular representatives at the World Cup and once again secured qualification for the 2026 tournament through the regional qualifiers.
For Iranian football, participation in the tournament is more than just a sporting achievement; it is an important global showcase watched by millions of viewers worldwide.
Nevertheless, even before the recent escalation of conflicts, there were signs that Iran’s path to participating in the tournament might become complicated.
Last December, during the World Cup draw ceremony in Washington, D.C., part of the Iranian delegation was unable to attend due to visa issues.
Among the visa applications submitted by Iranian officials, only some were approved, while several senior football federation officials—including Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian Football Federation—were denied visas.
At the time, this incident was widely interpreted as an early sign of the potential difficulties Iran might face in fully participating in a tournament partly hosted on U.S. soil.
A significant part of the recent tensions has also been fueled by developments involving Iran’s women’s national football team.
The team, which had traveled to Australia for a competition, suddenly found itself at the center of a political and media controversy after reports emerged suggesting that some players had been offered—or had the possibility of requesting—political asylum.
Subsequently, several players decided to remain in Australia and apply for asylum, while the majority of the squad is currently returning to Iran.
Messages from Donald Trump regarding the situation of these players—expressing concern about their safety if they returned to Iran—further politicized the issue.
Behind Trump’s Support for Iran’s Women Footballers
WANA (Mar 10) – While Iran is engaged in a war with the United States and Israel and the country’s domestic atmosphere is shaped by wartime conditions, an incident involving Iran’s national women’s football team has turned into a new topic in some foreign media outlets and among opposition groups. According to reports, five […]
Iranian authorities responded by saying they would welcome back any players who return to the country “with open arms.”
These developments have led some Iranian sports officials to worry about the possibility of a similar scenario involving the men’s national team during the World Cup.
In this regard, Mehdi Taj, head of Iran’s football federation, has also warned about the potential consequences for the men’s team.
He even suggested that if the current situation continues, “no reasonable person” would consider sending the national team to the United States to be a sensible decision.
Taj said that after the incidents involving the women’s team, Iran might reconsider sending the men’s national team to the World Cup as well—a move that, if realized, could become one of the most significant politically driven absences in the history of the tournament.
Reports also indicate that Iran was the only country that did not attend FIFA’s planning meeting for participating teams held last week in Atlanta.
In this atmosphere, Trump’s message welcoming Iran’s participation in the World Cup is viewed with skepticism by some analysts.
While FIFA speaks of Washington’s openness to Iran’s participation, Iranian officials point to security concerns and political pressure—a situation that, if it continues, could confront one of the world’s biggest football tournaments with an unusual scenario:
A team that qualified for the World Cup on the pitch, but whose fate may ultimately be decided not in stadiums, but in the arena of politics.
