OFFICIAL: Iran withdraw from World Cup amid conflict with USA and Israel

Iran’s sports minister, Ahmad Donyamali, has officially announced that the Iranian national football team will boycott the 2026 FIFA World Cup due to the escalating region-wide war triggered by joint United States and Israeli airstrikes on February 28, which killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 

Speaking on Iranian state television, Donyamali definitively ruled out the team travelling to the US, which is co-hosting the 48-team tournament alongside Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

 "Considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup," Donyamali stated, according to Al Jazeera.

The withdrawal throws FIFA's plans into chaos just three months before kickoff, as Iran had already been drawn into Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand, with all three of their group-stage matches scheduled to be played on American soil in Los Angeles and Seattle.

Donyamali’s declaration directly rebuffs recent diplomatic reassurances from FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who stated on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump had personally assured him the Iranian team was still "welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States." 

Prior to the military escalation, the Persian Lions had enjoyed a swift and dominant qualification campaign, booking their ticket to the finals by topping Group A in the third round of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifiers with 26 points. 

Following their withdrawal, the first time a qualified nation has pulled out of the tournament since India and France in 1950, FIFA regulations grant the governing body sole discretion to name a replacement. 

While FIFA has yet to make an official ruling, the most likely beneficiaries to inherit Iran’s vacant spot are fellow AFC nations: Iraq, who are currently slated for an inter-confederation play-off in Mexico on March 31, or the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who finished as the highest-ranked non-qualifier behind Iran in the Asian qualifying rounds.

Meanwhile, the Super Eagles have reportedly pulled out of the mini-tournament in which they were scheduled to play Iran in Jordan.

As Pulse Sports reported, the Super Eagles will no longer participate in the proposed four-nation tournament involving the Iranian, Jordanian, and Costa Rican national teams, which was initially scheduled for later this month, according to reports.