The rising conflict between Iran and both the U.S. and Israel has raised questions on Iran's spot in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup. With the US-Israel force taking down Iran's leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the question raised now is whether Iran will play in the World Cup.
Experts say that it is impossible to think about the tournament now, as the country is in a deep political crisis. Last year, Iran beat Uzbekistan in a thriller to qualify for the World Cup. Iran is in Group G, and their first round will be against New Zealand on June 15 in Los Angeles. Then they will face Belgium on the 21st. For their final group game, Iran will face Egypt on June 26.
Currently, the US has imposed restrictions for travelers from Iran. Last year, a similar situation triggered urgent talk at FIFA to keep Iran in the game. However, with missile strikes in full swing, it now looks like the situation is at loggerheads.
"With what happened... and with that attack by the United States, it is unlikely that we can look forward to the World Cup, but the sports chiefs are the ones who must decide on that," Mehdi Taj, the president of Iran's football federation, was quoted by the local press.
FIFA's Double Standards
FIFA's handling of double standards has long been a matter of discussion in the sporting arena. When Russia invaded Ukraine, the federation swiftly banned Russia from the event and playing in a neutral arena. However, the same story had a different ending when it came to Israel's attack on Gaza. According to various sources, over 50,000 Palestinians were killed in various attacks, yet FIFA stays silent on the issue.
On the other hand, FIFA also handed the 2022 World Cup to Qatar despite its human rights violation complaints, LGBTQ suppression, and migrant worker deaths during the construction of the infrastructure. Social media has erupted with hashtags of FIFA's hypocrisy, with netizens calling it a western bias.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature 48 teams, up from 32, divided into 12 groups of four during the group stage. Top teams advance to a knockout phase culminating in the final. Hosted across multiple venues like the USA, Canada, and Mexico, from June 11 to July 19, 2026. According to reports, FIFA is keenly monitoring the current situation and is expecting the Iran team to be at the World Cup in June.
On February 28, Israel launched a coordinated strike against Iran despite the peace talks in Geneva. Iran retaliates by launching air and missile strikes across the region, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait. As per the latest update, the war in the Middle East has widened further, with Tehran going on a full-on strike against all the US Army bases in the Middle East. US President Trump said on Monday that the strikes are likely to go on for a longer period of time, and he is all prepared for the attack.
