According to Ahmad Donyamali, after the United States assassinated Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, ‘there are no circumstances’ for the country to participate in the competition
Iran has withdrawn from competing in the 2026 World Cup. The information was confirmed this Wednesday (11) by the Minister of Sports, Ahmad Doyanmali. He says that the country’s performance, which is experiencing a context of war in the Middle East after coordinated attacks by the United States and Israel, makes it impossible for the Iranian team to play in the World Cup, scheduled to take place between June and July, with venues in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
“Given that this corrupt government (the United States) murdered our leader, there are no conditions for us to participate in the World Cup”, commented Doyanmali, referring to the death of Ali Khamenei – Shiite who ruled Iran for more than 30 years after being killed in the American offensive -, according to the Spanish newspaper Sport.
“Two wars were imposed on us in eight or nine months, and thousands of our citizens were killed. Therefore, we have no possibility of participating in this way”, he added.
The statement by Iran’s Sports Minister comes hours after American President Donald Trump stated that “the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States“. The information was released by FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, in a post on social media.
Iran has games scheduled in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15 and against Belgium on June 21. Before ending the group stage, the Iranian team will also face Egypt in Seattle, Washington, on June 26.
The regulation of FIFA foresees a minimum fine of 250 thousand Swiss francs (R$ 1.6 million) for the team that leaves the tournament. With the confirmation of Iran’s withdrawal, the entity can maintain the group originally occupied by Iran with just three teams or invite another country to fill the vacancy.
The United Arab Emirates and Iraq, which reached the final stages of the Asian Qualifiers, are the countries most likely to inherit the place from the Iranians if FIFA chooses to include a replacement team.
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