Iran withdraws from 2026 World Cup — 'cannot participate after US assassinated our leader'

Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali announced Iran will not participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada in June-July. 'Considering that this corrupt regime [the US] has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup,' Donyamali told state television. FIFA chief Gianni Infantino had earlier said that US President Donald Trump gave him personal assurances that Iran would be able to participate in the tournament. Iran's withdrawal means it forfeits its place in the tournament — a significant symbolic moment as the World Cup was to be Iran's first major international sporting event in the post-sanctions era. The timing is politically charged: Iran was drawn in a group alongside the United States, which would have produced one of the most politically significant fixtures in World Cup history. The withdrawal serves domestic political purposes for the regime — it signals defiance and frames participation as morally impossible while deflecting attention from Iran's catastrophic military losses.