Iranian team would be ‘welcome’ at US-hosted World Cup

March 12, 2026

TL;DR

FIFA President Gianni Infantino reported that US President Donald Trump assured the Iranian team would be welcome at the World Cup co-hosted by the US.
Iran qualified for the World Cup finals, scheduled to start in the US on June 15.
Speculation about Iran's participation arose after their representatives were absent from a FIFA planning meeting.
Earlier, Trump had stated he did not care whether the Iranian team participated.
The Iranian Sport Minister announced the country would not participate due to "malicious measures taken against Iran" and the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by the US government.
The US-Israeli attack on Iran was described as preempting an imminent Iranian attack and preventing Tehran from building a nuclear weapon.

Continue reading the original article