With escalations rising in the Middle East between the United States, Iran, and Israel, there are serious doubts whether Iran will be able to compete at the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Under the command of Donald Trump, the United States military launched attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, and Iran responded by sending missiles to US air bases in Qatar and Iraq.
The attacks and subsequent retaliation have thrown into question whether Donald Trump would let the Iranian national team compete in his country next year.
Iran was the sixth team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after its 2-2 draw with Uzbekistan helped it finish top of its group, ahead of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, and North Korea.
Now that they have qualified for the tournament on merit, they won’t be able to play unless FIFA disqualifies them, as it did with Russia for the 2022 World Cup.
Iran is listed alongside 40 other countries with the most severe travel restrictions to the United States, meaning any Iranian may be banned from entering the country.
According to Planet Football, President Trump issued a full proclamation, meaning the country’s citizens are barred from applying for any visa.
There should be an exemption for the Iranian players, staff, and key workers to enter the country, but with the troubles getting worse and President Trump’s patience wearing thin, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if he banned them as well.
Iranians aren’t banned from Mexico or Canada, and if drawn in Group A, they could play most of their group games in Mexico. However, the draw will be made in December, and FIFA has already confirmed all dates and hosts.
In addition to Russia in 2022, Germany, Japan, South Africa, Mexico, Chile, and Myanmar are among the other nations that have been banned from participating in the World Cup in the past.
It wouldn’t be strange for FIFA to ban Iran from the World Cup, especially with their history of banning nations and the strong relationship between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Trump.
According to The Guardian, Infantino and the FIFA council will have the final say on inclusion in the competition and the makeup of the draw, but the organizing committee for FIFA competitions will also be expected to have input.
The committee has members from Mexico, Canada, and Iran; its chair is UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin. His organization separated Ukraine and Belarus from being drawn together, and FIFA could follow suit.
Per Planet Football, Infantino said: “If we don’t have at least football to bring us together… which world are we going to live in? In Iran, there are 80 million people. Are they all bad? Are they all monsters?”
“Do we want to continue to spit on the others because they look different, or they feel different? We defend human rights. We do it our way. We obtain results.”
Can football bring everyone together for the best possible tournament?
