Iran officially pulls out of 2026 FIFA World Cup

Iran has officially withdrawn from the 2026 FIFA World Cup,which is scheduled to be hosted by the USA,Canada, and Mexico from June to July.

This decision follows airstrikes by Israel and the USA in Iran, resulting in the death of their leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Ahmad Donyamali, Iran’s Sports Minister, announced on state television, “Given that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, we cannot participate in the World Cup under any circumstances,” he stated on the state TV.

The World Cup is set to take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11th to July 19th.

“Our children are not safe, and fundamentally, the conditions for participation do not exist,” Donyamali added.

“Due to the hostile actions they have taken against Iran, they have imposed two wars on us over eight or nine months, resulting in the deaths and martyrdom of thousands of our people. Therefore, we certainly cannot participate.” He concluded

Iran are in Group G for this year’s World Cup, alongside Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand, with all their three group matches scheduled to be played in Los Angeles (2) and Seattle (1).

Iran was the only country absent from a FIFA planning summit for World Cup participants held last week in Atlanta.