Iranian Sports Minister, Ahmad Donyamali, has said the country will not be part of this year’s World Cup after co-host, the United States, together with Israel, launched airstrikes in the country.
The attacks killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggered a region-wide conflict.
“Considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup. Our children are not safe, and fundamentally, such conditions for participation do not exist.
“Given the malicious actions they have carried out against Iran, they have forced two wars on us over eight or nine months and have killed and martyred thousands of our people. Therefore, we certainly cannot have such a presence,” the minister told state television.
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Iran were grouped with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand. All three of their Group G matches are scheduled to take place in the US, two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle. Iran, who dominated the Asian qualifying rounds to qualify for the tournament in March last year, was the only nation missing from a FIFA planning summit for World Cup participants held last week in Atlanta.
The 48-team World Cup will be held in the US, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
Taofeek Lawal
