As conflict continues in the Middle East, President Donald Trump has warned Iran not to participate in this summer’s World Cup for “its own life and safety.” With less than 100 days until the start of the esteemed international tournament, scrutiny of the competition continues to intensify.
It is scheduled to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico starting June 11, and Iran is one of the countries that has qualified for the tournament. All matches were scheduled to be held in American cities, with matches against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt taking place in Los Angeles and Seattle. However, as the Iran war approaches two weeks and tensions in the Middle East increase, the impact on the sports world is becoming clear.
In a post on social media platform Truth Social, he said: “While we welcome the participation of the Iranian national soccer team in the World Cup, we simply do not believe it is appropriate for them to be there when considering their own lives and safety. Thank you for your consideration in this matter! President Donald J. Trump.”
This came a day after Iran’s Sports and Youth Minister Ahmad Donyamali said the country was not in a position to participate in this summer’s tournament. The conflict claimed the life of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei following an attack on the region.
The war escalated as the United States partnered with the Israeli military to launch attacks on Iran, which then retaliated with missile strikes targeting neighboring Gulf states. On Monday, the US-based Human Rights Defenders of Iran (HRANA) reported that 1,761 people have been killed since the war began on February 28, including 1,245 civilians, 194 of whom are children.
“Our children are not safe and fundamentally there are no conditions for such participation. Given the malign acts they have committed against Iran, they imposed two wars on us for eight to nine months, killing and martyring thousands of our people, so we certainly cannot have such a presence,” Donyamali told state television.
“Our children are not safe, and fundamentally there are no conditions for such participation. Given the malign acts they have committed against Iran, they have imposed two wars on us over eight or nine months, killed and martyred thousands of our own people. So we simply cannot have such a presence.”
This came a day after FIFA president Gianni Infantino was informed by the US president that the Iranian soccer team would be welcomed to participate in the tournament. “This evening, I met with U.S. President Donald J. Trump to discuss preparations for the upcoming World Cup and the growing excitement that it will begin in just 93 days,” Infantino said.
“We also talked about the current situation in Iran and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified for the 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.”
“Now more than ever, we all need events like the World Cup to bring people together. We are deeply grateful for the support of the President of the United States, as it shows once again that soccer brings the world together.”
