Marco Rubio says the country has no objections to the participation of Iranian players, only people linked to the IRGC
The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said on Thursday night (April 23, 2026) that Washington has no objections to the participation in the 2026 World Cup. He added, however, that athletes will not be able to bring people with ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), considered a foreign terrorist organization.
“No one from the US said they can’t come“, Rubio told reporters. “The problem would not be the athletes, but some of the people who could come along. They cannot bring a group of IRGC terrorists to our country and pretend they are journalists and fitness trainers. We may not be able to let them in“. The information is from .
Paolo Zampolli, US President Donald Trump’s envoy, who has no official connection with the tournament, previously suggested Italy should beat Iran in the competition.
After the start of the war in Iran, the country asked FIFA to transfer its 3 group stage matches to Mexico, which was rejected. There is currently no indication that Iran will withdraw or be banned from the tournament.
