World Cup 2026: Iranian sports minister says country will not play in tournament

Infantino had earlier posted on Instagram that he had met with President Trump to discuss preparations for the tournament and “spoke about the current situation in Iran”.

He said: “We all need an event like the Fifa World Cup to bring people together now more than ever, and I sincerely thank the President of the United States for his support, as it shows once again that football unites the world.”

Mehdi Taj, the head of Iran’s Football Federation, had also questioned their ability to participate in the World Cup, following six members of Iran’s women’s national team receiving “humanitarian” visas from Australia over concerns for their safety.

The remaining Iranian players left Australia on Tuesday after the team’s elimination from the Asian Cup.

Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said seven people were granted asylum, but one woman later changed her mind and opted to return home.

Taj said: “Given the problems created for the female footballers, if the World Cup outlook is like this, no sound mind would accept sending the team to the US.”

If Iran does withdraw from what would be its fourth consecutive World Cup, Fifa’s regulations give the governing body discretion to choose a replacement, but it is unclear who that would be.

The most likely is thought to be a fellow team from the Asian Football Confederation – Iraq, who could secure qualification anyway through a play-off match this month, or the UAE, who missed out on the play-offs.

However, Fifa’s rules state that a replacement need not be from the same confederation.