The Iranian minister made a sharp statement: won't the national team participate in the 2026 World Cup?
Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Dunyomali expressed a firm position regarding the country's national team's participation in the 2026 World Cup in the USA. He said that against the backdrop of recent political events, losses, and the overall situation, it seems practically impossible for the national team to go to the tournament.
A very heavy emotional background is felt in the minister's statement. He said that "we were forced into two wars in eight or nine months," emphasizing that in such a situation, it is difficult to even think about sports. He also stated that "thousands of compatriots were killed" and that "no conditions remained" for participation in the World Cup.
"After our leader was killed by a corrupt government, there were no conditions left for us to participate in the World Cup.
Against the backdrop of brutal actions against Iran - in eight or nine months, we were forced into two wars, resulting in the deaths of thousands of our compatriots. In such difficult conditions, we have absolutely no opportunity to participate in the competition," said Dunyomali.
Against the backdrop of these statements, there are other signals from FIFA. For example, FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated that after meeting with US President Donald Trump, the Iranian national team could participate in the 2026 World Cup, and Trump said that "the door is open to the Iranian team."
That is, the current situation is like this: on one side - officials within Iran are speaking sharply saying "it's difficult to even attend the tournament in such difficult conditions," on the other side - there appears to be a more official position from FIFA and the USA that "participating is possible." Therefore, the uncertainty surrounding this topic may continue for quite some time.
As a reminder, the 2026 World Cup will be held from June 11th to July 19th in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
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