The United States will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico. (Image credit: X)
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Iranian Sports Minister Ahmed Dunyamali said on Wednesday that his country cannot participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup after the United States killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to a report in Al Jazeera citing Reuters.“Given that this is a corrupt system [the US] “Our leader was assassinated. Under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup,” Ahmed Dunyamali told state television on Wednesday, according to the report.
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The latest round of conflict between Israel and the United States on one side and Iran on the other began on February 28. Conflict in West Asia has also disrupted global energy supply chains.Ahmed Dunyamali said that the conditions required to participate in the FIFA World Cup do not exist.
“Our children are not safe, and basically, such conditions for participation do not exist,” Dunyamali said, according to the Al Jazeera report, quoted by Reuters. “Given the malicious actions they carried out against Iran, they imposed two wars on us over the course of eight or nine months and killed and martyred thousands of our people. Therefore, we certainly cannot have such a presence.”The United States will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico.
The tournament will feature 104 matches, beginning at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on June 11, and culminating at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with the final on July 19.All of Iran’s group stage matches are scheduled to be held in American cities, including Los Angeles and Seattle.Donyamali’s comments came after FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in an Instagram post on Wednesday that Iran’s participation in the World Cup would be welcomed by US President Donald Trump.“President Trump has confirmed that the Iranian team is of course welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States,” Gianni Infantino said in a social media post.Earlier, Mehdi Taj, head of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI), also questioned Iran’s participation in the tournament after the recent attacks, saying it would be difficult for the country to approach the competition with optimism.“After this attack [on Iran]We cannot expect to look forward to the World Cup with hope. “If the World Cup was like this, who in their right mind would send their national team to a place like this?” Taj told Iranian state television.
