iran The United States, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to play at the 2026 World Cup in just over 100 days, with all three of their group games to be held in the U.S. However, uncertainty remains over the country’s participation, after President Donald Trump announced a joint “major combat operation” between the U.S. and Israel against Iran on Saturday.
Conflict It has already seen longtime Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killed in airstrikes in Tehran, as well as missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional US bases and Gulf states in response to Iran’s attacks on Iran.
This leaves many questions regarding the World Cup that are yet to be answered.
Will Iran still play in the World Cup?
Iran have played in the last six World Cups, including the last three tournaments in Brazil, Russia and Qatar, and have already qualified for next summer’s competition. They have to play in Group G, in which they have to face two matches at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. new zealand And belgium before the final group game against egypt At Lumen Field in Seattle.
Will they play in the World Cup? It is too early to know. The active conflict between the US and Iran is just a few days old and many scenarios may still play out. The president of Iran’s football federation has admitted that he “Don’t know” whether they will compete or not.
“It is certain that after this attack, we cannot be expected to watch the World Cup with hope,” Iran football president Mehdi Taj told sports portal Varzesh3.
There are several scenarios that could prevent Iran’s participation – they could boycott politically, they could withdraw due to team security concerns, or they could be barred from competing by the US government. It is still possible that Iran could play against the United States men’s national team in Arlington, Texas, provided both teams finish second in their groups. (The USMNT defeated Iran 1-0 in the last World Cup in Qatar.)
Iranian citizens are barred from entering the US under a travel ban imposed by the Trump administration last June, although it allows an exemption for “any athlete or athletic team member, including coaches, individuals performing essential support roles, and immediate relatives, who are traveling for the World Cup, Olympics or other major sporting event.”
It is noteworthy that Iran is still playing international football. Iran women’s team competing in 2026 Women’s Asian Cup In Australia – it Lost to South Korea 3-0 in their opening group game on Monday. The team’s head coach, Marzieh Jafari, Did not comment in the press conference before the match When he was asked about the struggle.
What will happen if Iran does not play in the World Cup?
Should Iran not compete at next summer’s World Cup, FIFA has some scenarios available to it in the governing bodies’ outlined protocols, although its rule book lacks specificity.
The 2026 World Cup rules issued last year allow FIFA to make changes to the competition – for example, it could change Group G to a three-team grouping, although that would mean fewer games and risk upsetting agreed TV deals. More likely is that FIFA will replace them with another team. However, it is not easy to choose an obvious replacement for Iran in the World Cup.
Qualification for the World Cup for Asian teams is quite complex, but ultimately it is divided into three groups, which ended with Iran topping Group A and earning an automatic spot in the World Cup. The subsequent group format also included Saudi Arabia and Qatar, with the United Arab Emirates and Iraq being sent to the playoff round. Iraq won that playoff tie over two legs in November, meaning they secured a place in the FIFA inter-confederation playoffs, where they will play the winner between Bolivia and Suriname later this month.
If Iraq succeeds in qualifying, the UAE would be the next available Asian team, although FIFA could take the unexpected step of looking outside Asia and select the loser of the inter-confederation playoff.
The World Cup is set to begin on June 11 when Mexico faces South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
