Iran’s national football team has strongly rejected a warning from Donald Trump suggesting the squad should skip the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup for their “own life and safety.”
Iran has already qualified for the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. But questions about the team’s participation intensified after joint strikes by the US and Israel on Iran that reportedly killed the country’s supreme leader, triggering retaliatory attacks by Tehran on US-allied states in the Gulf.
Trump addressed the issue on the social media platform Truth Social, saying it would be safer for the Iranian team to withdraw from the tournament.
In response, the national team said participation in the World Cup is determined by the sport’s governing body, FIFA, rather than any individual country or political leader. In a statement posted on Instagram, the team stressed that Iran earned its place in the tournament through qualifying results and argued that no nation has the authority to exclude it.
The statement also suggested that if any country cannot guarantee security for participants, it is the host nation that should face questions rather than the competing teams.
However, the team’s stance appeared to contrast with remarks made a day earlier by Iran’s sports minister, Ahmad Donyamal, who indicated the country might boycott the tournament. He said there were “no conditions” under which Iran could take part following the killing of its leader and recent military actions against the country.
The tournament is scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19 across North America. Iran is set to play group matches against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in cities including Los Angeles and Seattle.
Earlier, Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, said he had received assurances from Trump that Iran’s team would be welcome at the tournament, emphasizing that the World Cup should help bring people together during a time of global tensions.
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