Iran’s soccer team has hit back at Donald Trump’s warning against taking part in the World Cup, instead calling on the United States to withdraw. This summer’s games have been thrown into turmoil after the games’ co-host, the United States, launched a joint missile attack on Iran two weeks ago, killing the country’s supreme leader and sparking a brutal conflict.
The country’s sports minister declared on Wednesday that Iran cannot participate in the World Cup “under any circumstances”, despite FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s insistence that President Trump “welcomes” Iran. But then the US president suggested that Iran should not travel to the games “for their own lives and safety.” “While I welcome the Iranian national soccer team to the World Cup, I absolutely do not believe it is appropriate for them to be there when it comes to their own lives and safety,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
The Iranian national team responded defiantly to President Trump in its own statement, insisting it “cannot be excluded” from the tournament. They said: “The World Cup is a historic and international event, and its organizer is FIFA, not a single country.
“The Iranian national team also qualified for this tournament through prestige and a winning streak, becoming one of the first teams to participate in this great tournament. Indeed, no one can exclude the Iranian national team from the World Cup. Rather, the countries that should be excluded are those that simply bear the title of ‘host country’ and do not have the ability to ensure the safety of the teams participating in this tournament.”
The World Cup kicks off in less than 100 days, with the United States, Canada and Mexico playing host nations in the 23rd edition. Iran achieved impressive results in their qualifying campaign, finishing first in both groups and losing just one of their 16 matches.
In the December draw, they were placed in Group G along with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand. The first match will be against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 16th.
Iranian supporters are already banned from traveling to the United States, but the team will be granted an exemption. However, their participation is now in serious doubt following a statement from Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali. Paralleling Donyamali’s remarks, Iranian Football Federation president Mehdi Taj told state news agency WANA: “Who would be rational to send their national team into such a situation?”
