He emphasized that the current situation in the country, following the death of its leader and recent events, makes Iran's participation in the tournament impossible.
“After the corrupt government killed our leader, we have no conditions left to participate in the World Cup. For the past eight or nine months, we have been imposed with two wars, during which thousands of our compatriots have died, so we certainly have no possibility to participate under such circumstances,” he noted.
The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19 and will be held in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. The Iranian national team had already qualified for the tournament and was set to play in Group G against teams from Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand. All of Iran's matches were to take place in the USA.
At this time, it is unclear who will be able to replace Iran in the tournament in the event of their withdrawal.
On February 28, the Israeli Ministry of Defense reported conducting a “preventive strike” against Iran, which was later joined by the USA.
Earlier, Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, noted that Donald Trump, the president of the USA, supports the participation of the Iranian national team in the World Cup.
