Iranian national football team to skip 2026 FIFA World Cup

March 12, 2026

TL;DR

Iran's national football team will boycott the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The reason for the boycott is the assassination of Iran's supreme leader by the United States.
The 2026 World Cup is co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Iran had qualified for the tournament and was drawn in Group G.
All of Iran's group stage matches were scheduled to be played in the United States.
The decision follows a joint US-Israeli military operation against Iran that resulted in the deaths of key Iranian leaders.

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