Iran skips FIFA World Cup workshop as participation remains uncertain

Iran and Qatar were absent from FIFA’s World Cup planning workshop in Atlanta on Tuesday, with Iran’s football federation president casting doubt on participation.sportsbusinessjournal
The uncertainty follows U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28 that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, triggering a 40-day mourning period halting team preparations.foxnews
Iraq and the UAE have emerged as potential replacements if Iran formally withdraws from Group G, according to reports.nationaltoday

Iran’s 2026 World Cup Participation in Doubt After US-Israeli Strikes Kill Supreme Leader

Iran’s place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup hangs in the balance after US and Israeli military strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28, with conflicting signals from Iranian officials and a dismissive response from President Donald Trump deepening the uncertainty just three months before kickoff.

Conflicting Signals From Tehran

Iranian Football Federation President Mehdi Taj told Iranian sports outlet Varzesh3 that participation looks bleak. “What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Taj said, adding that “the US regime has attacked our homeland, and this is an incident that will not go unanswered.” Iran has also entered a 40-day mourning period following Khamenei’s death, halting national team preparations.foxnews

Yet the picture is not uniform. Iran’s ambassador to Spain insisted the country “will go to the World Cup” and has “no problem” with the tournament being hosted in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. FIFA has maintained that it expects all qualified teams to participate but said it would “monitor developments.”nationaltoday

Absent From Atlanta, Dismissed by Trump

Neither Iran nor Qatar sent representatives to a FIFA World Cup team workshop held this week in Atlanta, according to Sports Business Journal, which first reported their absence. Qatar’s delegation was unable to leave the country after air travel was suspended following Iranian retaliatory strikes on Gulf states hosting US military bases. The three-day workshop covered match organization, logistics, safety, and security ahead of the June 11 tournament start.sportsbusinessjournal

Trump, speaking to Politico during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday, was blunt. “I really don’t care,” he said of Iran’s participation. “I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes.”usatoday

Replacement Planning Underway

Iran qualified for Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand, with matches scheduled at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on June 15 and 21, and in Seattle on June 26. Should Iran withdraw, it would be the first time a nation has dropped out after the World Cup draw since France and India in 1950.usatoday

According to The Guardian, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates have emerged as the leading replacement candidates from the Asian Football Confederation. Iraq is already set to play an intercontinental playoff on March 31; if Iraq qualifies on its own, the UAE would be next in line to fill Iran’s slot. FIFA’s World Cup regulations grant the organization “sole discretion” to replace a withdrawing team, though no formal mechanism for such a substitution exists in the current rules.theguardian