Iran will not participate in this summer’s World Cup, the country’s sports minister said Wednesday, just hours after the head of soccer’s governing body, Gianni Infantino, revealed he had received assurances from President Donald Trump that Iran would be welcome at the tournament despite the war in the Middle East.

The Iranian team qualified months ago for the World Cup, the biggest international sports event to be played in the United States for decades. But Iran’s participation has been the subject of much speculation since the United States and Israel began their military campaign against the Islamic Republic, which prompted Iran to launch retaliatory strikes across the Persian Gulf and beyond.

Infantino, a close ally of Trump, said he met with Trump on Tuesday evening to discuss broader preparations for tournament, which is scheduled to start in less than 100 days, with 48 teams playing across three countries. Trump, as part of that discussion, “reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States,” Infantino said in a social media post.

But Iran’s sports minister, Ahmad Donyamali, told state television that his nation’s team could not countenance taking part, “considering this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader,” referring to the U.S. government and the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28.

Trump has not commented on the meeting with Infantino. The White House did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Iranian officials had earlier suggested that the fighting had thrown their country’s participation into doubt. And just a few days ago, Trump told Politico that he did not care if Iran played in the competition.

Iran’s Games Scheduled in US

The Iranian team’s three games in the initial, group stage are all scheduled to occur in the United States: two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle. Iran could meet the United States in a knockout game on July 3 in Dallas should both teams finish second in their first-round groups. Mexico and Canada are cohosting the tournament.

In comments carried by Iranian and international news media, Donyamali said, “If any other country were to host the World Cup and did even one-thousandth of what they did, the international community would definitely take action and take the hosting rights away from that country.”

Infantino has drawn criticism for his full-throated endorsement of Trump. He has showered the U.S. leader with gifts, including a hastily organized peace prize in December, and being part of his entourage on some overseas trips, including one to the Gulf last year that led to Infantino’s being late for FIFA’s own annual meeting.

In his social media post, Infantino said, “We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever, and I sincerely thank the President of the United States for his support, as it shows once again that Football Unites the World.”

Iran was among the first countries from the Asia qualifying region to secure a place for this World Cup. The tournament is held every four years, and the country has qualified for every World Cup since the edition that was held in Brazil in 2014.

US, Iran Tensions Caused Riff in World Cup Organization

Even before the war in the Middle East began, relations between the United States and Iran had been causing difficulties for World Cup organizers. Half of Iran’s eight-member delegation to the tournament draw in Washington in December, including the president of its soccer federation, Mehdi Taj, were denied visas to attend. Last week, no Iranians were present for a planning workshop in Atlanta for officials from qualified teams. Qatari officials were also unable to get to that event.

Any U.S. ban on Iran’s participation would test FIFA’s rules, because host nations sign agreements to allow all qualified nations and officials to participate. In March 2023, FIFA stripped Indonesia of hosting a World Cup for players under 20 after a regional governor there refused to host Israel.

Should Iran formally withdraw, FIFA’s leadership has broad discretion over choosing a replacement. The rules also state FIFA could punish Iran for not playing.

The conflict in the Middle East is causing strain to other World Cup preparations. Iraq has called for a delay to intercontinental playoffs in Mexico, which were to determine some of the remaining qualifiers for the tournament. Iraq has cited embassy closures and air traffic disruption, including the closure of its airspace, as potentially risking the participation of some of its players in those games.

Referring to the playoffs, Iraq’s national team coach, Graham Arnold, who is Australian, said, “It wouldn’t be our best team and we need our best team for the country’s biggest game in 40 years.”

A group of players on Iran’s women’s soccer team were granted asylum in Australia this week after a tournament there. On Wednesday, one of seven members of the team that had sought asylum withdrew her application, opting to return to Iran. The team drew scrutiny and criticism in Iran after not singing the national anthem in the aftermath of the U.S.-Israeli attacks.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Tariq Panja
c. 2026 The New York Times Company