Iran fires back at Trump over 2026 World Cup: 'No one can stop us from playing'

The Iran national football team has strongly pushed back against comments made by Donald Trump suggesting the country should reconsider participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for safety reasons, insisting that no individual or nation has the authority to bar it from a tournament governed by FIFA.

In a statement shared on the team’s official platform, the Iranian side emphasised that the World Cup is an international sporting event regulated by FIFA and not controlled by any single country or political figure.

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The team stated,

The response followed remarks by Trump on his social media platform, Truth Social, where he said Iran would technically be welcome at the tournament but questioned whether it should take part due to concerns about the team’s safety.

Trump wrote,

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In reaction, the Iranian team stressed that its place in the tournament was earned on merit through qualification matches and cannot be revoked by political commentary.

The statement added, noting that it is the responsibility of host nations to guarantee the safety of all participating teams,

Iran secured qualification for the 2026 tournament after finishing top of Group A in the third round of Asian qualifiers, marking the country’s fourth consecutive appearance at football’s biggest global competition.

The upcoming World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026, with Iran expected to play three of its group-stage matches in the United States.

However, the country’s participation has recently been thrown into doubt amid rising geopolitical tensions.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino revealed earlier this week that he had met with Trump, who reportedly assured him that Iran would still be permitted to compete in the tournament.

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Despite this assurance, Iran’s Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali later suggested the country might withdraw from the competition following airstrikes carried out by the United States and Israel.

Donyamali said during an interview on Iranian state television,

Meanwhile, the president of the Iran Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, also acknowledged growing uncertainty over Iran’s involvement, saying recent developments have made it difficult for the country to approach the World Cup with optimism.