President Donald Trump reportedly reiterated to Gianni Infantino that Iran’s participation is “welcome” (Image: Getty)
FIFA already this week said the World Cup was “too big” to postpone due to the US-Israel conflict with Iran. However, in an unusual development, this statement was issued before Iran officially acknowledged its boycott of the games.
Gianni Infantino claimed that US President Donald Trump has assured soccer’s governing body that Iran is “welcome” to participate in the 48-team tournament hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States. However, Iran’s sports minister said the team would not participate in this summer’s tournament.
“We have no conditions to participate in the World Cup since this corrupt government assassinated our leader,” Ahmad Donyammal said in a television interview. In view of the malicious measures taken against Iran, two wars were forced within eight or nine months and thousands of its citizens were killed. Therefore, there is absolutely no possibility for us to participate in this way. ”
Iran was drawn in Group G and was scheduled to play New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt. All three games were scheduled to be held in the United States. However, the tournament descended into chaos after the country officially withdrew.
Iran is currently embroiled in a conflict with the United States and Israel, and tensions are rising in the Middle East with daily missile attacks, and there was considerable concern about Iran’s involvement. Despite the worrying developments, FIFA chief operating officer Heimo Sirgi insisted on Monday that the World Cup, which is expected to generate revenue of £9bn for the governing body, will go ahead as planned.
“If I had a crystal ball I could tell you right now what’s going to happen, but clearly the situation is evolving. The situation is changing every day and we are monitoring it closely,” Silgi said.
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Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino reportedly met on Tuesday night to discuss Iran. (Image: Getty Images)
“We are working with all of our federal partners and international partners to assess the situation. And we are basically taking this situation day by day, and we will find a solution at some stage.”
And of course the World Cup will follow, right? The World Cup is too big and I hope everyone who qualifies can participate. ”
Sirgi also said, “Given the current state of the world today, this will be a great opportunity to bring everyone together. For those of you who have never experienced the World Cup, the World Cup is very special because it is truly global and brings everyone together. We saw it everywhere, in Qatar, in Russia. People were surprised at how international this whole thing was.”
Earlier this month, President Trump said he “really doesn’t care” whether Iran participates in the World Cup. However, FIFA president Infantino insisted after the two met that the US president supported the team’s involvement.
Iran’s Sports Minister Ahmad Donyammal said: “There are no conditions for us to participate.” (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
“Tonight, I met with the President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump, to discuss preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup and the growing excitement with its opening just 93 days away,” Infantino wrote on Instagram.
“We also talked about the current situation in Iran and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. During the discussion, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is of course welcome to participate in the tournament in the United States.
“We all need events like the FIFA World Cup that bring people together now more than ever. We are truly grateful for the support of the President of the United States, as it shows once again that soccer brings the world together.”
The Middle East conflict is now in its 11th day, with President Trump saying in a speech on Tuesday that “the war is pretty much complete” and claiming the US is “far ahead of schedule.” He also said the United States was “not satisfied” with Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, adding: “We have already won on many fronts, but we have not won enough yet.”
