Reaction comes after the US president said it would not be “appropriate” for the Middle Eastern nation to play in World Cup
The Iran football federation has pushed back against Donald Trump’s comments that their national team is better off not playing at the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico.
The US president told Team Melli that they were welcome to participate in the competition, but that he did not believe it would be “appropriate” for them to be there on account of their “lives and safety”.
Trump’s statement came in the backdrop of the ongoing war in the Middle East between the US and Israel against Iran.
In response, the Iranian national team posted a statement on their official Instagram account, insisting that no individual government has the authority to determine their involvement in the tournament.
“The World Cup is a historic and international event, and its governing body is Fifa, not an individual or a country,” the statement read. “The Iranian national team was among the first to qualify for this major tournament, thanks to its strength and the decisive victories achieved by the courageous sons of Iran.
“Certainly, no one can exclude the Iranian national team from the World Cup. The only country that could be excluded is the one that merely holds the title of ‘host country’ without being able to ensure the safety of the teams participating in this global event.”
Iran were one of the first countries to book a place in football’s biggest event. However, their statement also comes after the country’s sports minister declared that “under no circumstances” would Iran participate after having been attacked by one of the host countries. Iran are scheduled to play all of their World Cup matches in the US.
