ZURICH, SWITZERLAND — FIFA is on the verge of replacing Iran at the 2026 World Cup after Tehran’s sports minister declared the national team will not participate in the tournament co-hosted by the United States, citing the recent US-Israeli airstrikes that killed the country’s supreme leader and over 1,000 civilian.
Ahmad Donyamali, Iran’s Minister of Sports, announced on state television: “Given that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, there is no circumstance under which we would participate in this World Cup. Our players do not have security, and fundamentally the conditions for participation do not exist”.
The decision plunges the expanded 48-team tournament into unprecedented chaos just three months before kickoff. Iran had qualified comfortably by winning its Asian group and was drawn in Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand, with all three matches scheduled to be played in California and Seattle.
According to Article 6.7 of FIFA’s World Cup regulations, if a participating member withdraws, “FIFA shall decide on the matter at its sole discretion and take whatever action is deemed necessary. FIFA may decide to replace the participating member association in question with another association”.
The most likely replacements are Iraq or the United Arab Emirates, the highest-ranked Asian teams that failed to secure automatic qualification.
Iraq is currently scheduled to face either Bolivia or Suriname in an intercontinental playoff later this month, while the UAE lost to Iraq in Asian qualifying.
However, Iraq’s preparations have been complicated by airspace closures in the Middle East, leaving the team uncertain about traveling to Mexico for the playoff
. Iraq coach Graham Arnold has proposed that FIFA postpone the playoff, suggesting: “If Iran withdraws, we go into the World Cup and it gives the UAE, who we beat in qualifying, the chance to prepare for either Bolivia or Suriname”.
Other speculative candidates include Italy, the highest-ranked team that failed to qualify, though FIFA’s regulations do not require replacement from the same confederation.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino had earlier secured assurances from Donald Trump that Iran was welcome to compete, but Tehran’s official stance has rendered those guarantees moot.
A decision is expected after the March playoff window closes.
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