The Asian Football Confederation said it had not received any notification that Iran would withdraw from the next World Cup.
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Published March 16, 2026
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced that it has not received any notification from Iran to withdraw its national soccer team from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Iran has qualified for the 48-team tournament to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico on June 11, with two group games scheduled to be played in Los Angeles and one in Seattle.
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Iran’s sports minister said it would be impossible for athletes to participate in the tournament after the United States, along with Israel, launched an airstrike against Iran, killing the country’s supreme leader.
US President Donald Trump said last week that he welcomed Iran’s participation in the World Cup, but said he did not think it would be appropriate for Iran to participate “for their own lives and safety.”
“It’s a very emotional moment. Everyone is saying different things,” AFC general secretary Windsor John told reporters in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.
“At the end of the day, it is the federation that decides whether they play or not and as of today the federation has told us that they will be playing in the World Cup.
“They’re our guys. We want them to play. You know, they’re eligible…so whatever it is, we hope they can work out their issues and be able to play.”
Iran’s formal withdrawal from the world football festival is the first in modern times, leaving FIFA with the urgent task of finding a replacement.
It is unclear whether FIFA will have time to replace Iran if it decides to withdraw from the 2026 tournament. One option could be to select the highest ranked team in Asia that did not make it to the tournament.
Iran’s Group G could be played under special rules with three teams instead of four.
The competition will run until July 19th.
