US President Donald Trump has said he is unconcerned about whether Iran’s national football team participates in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, amid growing uncertainty surrounding the country’s involvement in the tournament.
“I really don’t care” whether Iran competes, Trump said in an interview with Politico on Tuesday.
“I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes,” he stated.
Rising tensions in the Middle East and worries about whether Iranian officials and supporters would be permitted entry into the United States, one of the tournament’s host countries, have raised questions about Iran’s participation.
On Saturday, the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iranian targets; Iran later retaliated with missile and drone attacks on American and allied facilities throughout the Gulf region, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
FIFA, the international football governing body, has always tried to keep politics out of the World Cup, which will be held in the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Iran qualified for the competition earlier and will play the national football teams of Egypt, Belgium, and New Zealand in the group stage.
Mehdi Taj, the president of Iran’s football association, recently hinted that the nation’s intentions to compete may be impacted by the current state of security.
“What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Taj told the Iranian sports outlet Varzesh3 following the strikes.
Millions of fans from all over the world are anticipated to attend the competition, which is set for 2026 and will be the first World Cup staged by three nations.
