“The World Cup is a historic and international event and its governing body is FIFA — not any individual or country,” the team said.
Soccer
Iran has insisted that no country has the power to exclude it from the upcoming FIFA World Cup, responding sharply to comments by Donald Trump suggesting the team’s “life and safety” could be at risk in the United States.
In a social media post on Thursday, the Iran national football team said the global football tournament is governed by FIFA and not by any individual country.
“The World Cup is a historic and international event and its governing body is FIFA — not any individual or country,” the team said.
Iran also argued that the United States should not host the tournament if it cannot guarantee the safety of participating teams.
“Certainly no one can exclude Iran’s national team from the World Cup; the only country that can be excluded is one that merely carries the title of ‘host’ yet lacks the ability to provide security for the teams participating in this global event,” the statement added.
Trump had earlier written on his Truth Social platform that although Iran’s team would be welcome at the tournament, he did not think it was appropriate for them to participate because of safety concerns.
“The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to the World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety,” he said.
His remarks came just two days after he reportedly assured Gianni Infantino that Iranian players would be welcomed at the competition.
The tensions follow the ongoing Middle East conflict triggered by US-Israeli strikes on February 28, which has raised questions about Iran’s participation in the tournament.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Despite the controversy, Trump later reassured fans that the tournament would be safe for teams and supporters.
“The United States of America looks very much forward to hosting the FIFA World Cup,” he wrote, adding that ticket sales were “through the roof.”