Iran’s team is preparing for the FIFA World Cup but may not travel for the tournament, Sports Minister Donyamali said.
Published April 21, 2026
Iran’s soccer team is preparing for the World Cup, but the final decision on participation in the tournament will be taken by the government, the country’s sports minister said.
Iran’s Sports and Youth Minister Ahmad Donyamali was quoted by Iran’s Tasnim news agency as saying on Thursday: “We will go to the World Cup as long as the safety of the national team players in the United States is ensured.”
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“The decision will be taken by the government and the Supreme National Security Council,” he added.
Team Melli is scheduled to play all of their World Cup matches in the United States, one of the three host countries along with Canada and Mexico, but their participation has been uncertain since the war against Iran between the United States and Israel began on February 28th.
Questions remain over Iran’s role in the games as a fragile Pakistan-brokered ceasefire agreement between Tehran and Washington approaches Thursday’s deadline.
Donyamali insisted to Iranian media that the team will continue training for the World Cup despite ongoing geopolitical tensions.
“The national team may not be able to participate in the World Cup, but if we are going to participate, we have to be prepared,” he said.
Last month, the Football Federation of Iran (FFIRI) asked FIFA to move matches outside the United States, but the sport’s governing body announced that all World Cup matches would go ahead as scheduled and ruled out Mexico hosting the Iranian team, citing logistical hurdles.
On Wednesday, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said he was “confident” that Iran would qualify for the World Cup, despite US President Donald Trump’s previous statement that it was “not appropriate” for Iran to play there.
“I welcome the Iranian national soccer team to the World Cup, but given their own lives and safety, I do not believe it is appropriate for them to participate in the World Cup,” President Trump said in a social media post last month.
The head of FIFA, who is close to President Trump, said “Iran must come” to the tournament, despite the April 22 deadline for the ceasefire.
“Of course, we hope that by then the situation will be peaceful,” Infantino said of the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran. “As I said, it definitely helps. But Iran has to come. Of course they represent the people. They have qualified. The players want to play.”
Iranian Minister Donyamali has repeatedly linked Iran’s participation to guarantees of the safety of athletes and the ongoing war. He told local media that FFIRI plans to set up a training camp for the team if it is given the go-ahead by the government.
“You have to be prepared, but maybe you decide not to go, and if you do go, you have to be ready to make a strong presence,” he said.
“Our duty from a professional point of view is to carry out the work and preparation.”
He confirmed that the Iranian national team’s World Cup training camp will begin on May 10 and last for more than a week.
Iran played two international friendlies in Turkiye last month under tight security and limited media access.
Team Melli are scheduled to open the season against New Zealand on June 15th and then face Belgium on June 21st, with both games to be played in Los Angeles. On June 26, Iran will play against Egypt in Seattle.
If Iran advances to the finals, the rest of its games will also be held in the United States.
