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Iran’s football federation has a bleak outlook on its participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as joint US-Israeli attacks on the country entered the fourth day on Tuesday.
The tournament, which will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada later this summer, is scheduled to see Iran kick off its Group G schedule in June in Los Angeles, California.
But President Donald Trump doesn’t care if Iran decides to withdraw from the tournament later this year.
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Mehdi Taremi of Iran celebrates after scoring a goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian Qualifiers Group A match between Iran and Uzbekistan at Azadi Stadium on March 25, 2025, in Tehran, Iran. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu)
“I don’t really care,” Trump told Politico on Tuesday when asked about Iran’s participation in the World Cup. “I think Iran is a very defeated country. They are exhausted.”
Iran was the first team to qualify for the World Cup, but FIFA says it will continue to monitor the situation.
“The truth is that after this attack we cannot wait with hope for the World Cup,” the president of the Iranian football federation, Mehdi Taj, told the Varzesh3 sports portal on Sunday. “The American regime has attacked our homeland and this is an incident that will not go unanswered.”
President Donald Trump previously mentioned that athletes, staff members and family members would receive an exemption from countries on the banned list from entering the US for the tournament. However, with attacks in the Middle East intensifying, that could change ahead of the tournament.
And there’s even a chance these two teams could meet in a World Cup knockout match if they both finish second in their respective groups. And that game would be played in Dallas.
Iran fans applaud before the AFC Asian Qualifiers Group A third round match for the 2026 FIFA World Cup between Qatar and Iran at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar on June 5, 2025. (Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto)
Since the US-Israel attack on Saturday, Iran has responded by firing missiles and drones at the latter, as well as at countries in the region that host US allies or military bases, including Bahrain and Qatar.
The strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as well as other senior officials: Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi, and Commander-in-Chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Mohammad Pakpour.
While the men’s team does not know what its future holds at the World Cup, the Iranian women’s football team made a statement on Monday during the opening match of the Women’s Asian Cup, refusing to sing as their national anthem played over the speakers at the Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast.
The players were in their usual line before the game against South Korea when the Iranian national anthem began to play. The women, who were staring straight ahead and barely moving, were stoic as there seemed to be boos from the crowd. Later, attendees applauded after South Korea’s 3-0 victory.
President Donald Trump looks on as he meets with the White House Task Force on the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 17, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)
Iran coach Marziyeh Jafari was also seen smiling as she watched her players’ silence from the sidelines.
After Iran’s first World Cup match, they are scheduled to face Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
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