The FIFA World Cup 2026 is looming on the horizon; the marquee tournament is all set to be co-hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada. With the ongoing West Asia war, the participation of Iran in the tournament has been put into question. The country’s sports minister recently came forward and revealed that Iran will not travel to the USA for the World Cup, while the country has not officially pulled out of the tournament.
Speaking on the same, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, came forward and revealed that Iran is welcome to participate in the FIFA World Cup but advised the players against it for their own “life and safety".
The comments garnered widespread attention from experts all over the world, and the Iran football team took to social media to respond to Trump’s comments as well.
"The World Cup is a historic and international event, and its governing body is FIFA — not any individual country. Iran’s national team, with strength and a series of decisive victories achieved by the brave sons of Iran, was among the first teams to qualify for this major tournament," the statement posted to Instagram stories said.
"Certainly, no one can exclude Iran’s national team from the World Cup; the only country that could be excluded is one that merely carries the title of ‘host’ yet lacks the ability to provide security for the teams participating in this global event,” the statement added.
What did Donald Trump say about Iran’s participation?
Earlier, Donald Trump had welcomed Iran over their participation in the FIFA World Cup but was quick to state that the players should come to the USA at their own risk and advised them against travel for their own life and safety.
“The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump said.
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