The acute political and military situation in the Middle East is now casting a shadow on the sports arena. According to information published by the Spanish publication Marca, the Iranian national team may consider the option of not participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup due to US policy towards the country and the security situation. This is not yet an official decision, but it is considered a serious alarm signal for world football. FIFA also stated that it is closely monitoring the situation around Iran.
As is known, on the morning of February 28, Israel launched its first attack on Iran. Shortly after, US President Donald Trump announced the start of a major military operation. Following this, Iran responded by launching missile strikes against Israeli and US military targets in the Middle East. This tension exacerbated questions about the Iranian national team's participation in the World Cup.
In terms of sports, the Iranian national team qualified for the World Cup in a worthy way. The team took first place in their group in the Asian region qualifiers and qualified for the 2026 World Cup. That is, from a football perspective, the "Persians" have honestly and reliably secured their right to participate in the tournament.
According to the draw results, Iran was placed in Group G. This quartet also includes Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand. According to sources close to Reuters and FIFA, Iran's group stage matches are scheduled to take place in the US and Canada: two matches are scheduled in Los Angeles, and another in Seattle. So, it's not just about football - it's directly related to travel, security, entry and exit, and political decisions.
Therefore, the main question now is one: will Iran's possible withdrawal from participation be its own political decision, or will the situation require a different solution at the level of FIFA and host countries? According to Reuters, FIFA is not yet in a hurry to provide a detailed explanation, but the organization stated that it is in dialogue with the host countries and that security is the main priority.
In short, Iran's participation in the World Cup has not yet been officially closed. However, if the conflict deepens, political and security factors could seriously interfere with one of the largest tournaments in football history. This is likely to impact not only Iran's plans but also those surrounding the entire World Cup.
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
