Donald Trump ‘really does not care’ if Iran play at World Cup 2026 | World Cup 2026
Donald Trump said he doesn’t care whether Iran participates in the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada this summer. As conflicts in the Middle East spread to the wider region, the United States and Israel began attacking targets in the country on Saturday.
US president Trump told Politico: “I really don’t care. I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re stepping on the gas.” Iran was the only country not included in this week’s FIFA planning summit for World Cup participants in Atlanta, deepening questions about whether the country’s team will compete on U.S. soil this summer amid an escalating regional war.
FIFA did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
President of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mehdi Taj, said that the brutality of the attacks by the US and Israeli forces does not bode well for the World Cup, which will be held from June 11 to July 19. Iran qualified for the World Cup for the fourth consecutive time by finishing as the leader of Group A in the third round of Asian qualifiers last year.
The Iranians were placed in Group G with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand. Their matches will be played in the United States, two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle. If both the United States and Iran finish second in their groups, the two countries could meet in a qualifying match to be held in Dallas on July 3.
According to Politico, Iran is one of two rival countries subject to the most restrictive travel ban Trump enacted by executive order last June. While the ban covers World Cup teams and support staff, decisions on visa exemptions for others, including government officials or executives of team sponsor companies, are left to the State Department on a case-by-case basis.
White House FIFA World Cup Task Force Director Andrew Giuliani said in a January interview in Colorado Springs that security concerns will shape the administration’s approach to travel ban exceptions.
Giuliani added in a statement to Politico on Tuesday: “President Trump’s decisive action to eliminate the Ayatollah, the most notorious state sponsor of terrorism in my lifetime, eliminates a major destabilizing threat and will help protect Americans and people around the world, including the millions who plan to attend the 2026 World Cup in the United States.”
In the modern era, no team that has qualified for the tournament has made it to the World Cup finals. If they withdraw from the tournament, Iran will almost certainly be replaced.
