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The Iranian football federation has a gloomy outlook for its participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as joint US-Israeli strikes against the country entered their fourth day on Tuesday.
The tournament, which will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada later this summer, sees Iran begin its Group G schedule in June in Los Angeles, California.
But President Donald Trump doesn’t care whether Iran decides to withdraw from the tournament later this year.
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Iran’s Mehdi Taremi celebrates after scoring a goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers Group A match between Iran and Uzbekistan at Azadi Stadium on March 25, 2025, in Tehran, Iran. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu)
“I really don’t care,” Trump told Politico on Tuesday when asked about Iran’s participation in the World Cup. “I think Iran is a seriously defeated country. They run on steam.”
Iran were the first team to qualify for the World Cup, but FIFA says it will continue to monitor the situation.
“What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Iranian football federation president Mehdi Taj told sports portal Varzesh3 on Sunday. “The American regime has attacked our homeland, and this is an incident that will not go unanswered.”
President Donald Trump previously mentioned that athletes, staff members and their family members would receive an exemption from countries on the banned list to enter the United States for the tournament. However, with attacks in the Middle East intensifying, this could change as the tournament approaches.
And there’s even a chance these two teams could face each other in a World Cup qualifier if they both finish second in their respective groups. And this game would be played in Dallas.
Iranian fans cheer before the 2026 FIFA World Cup AFC Asian Qualifying Group Third Round match between Qatar and Iran at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar on June 5, 2025. (Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto)
Since Saturday’s U.S. and Israeli strike, Iran has responded by firing missiles and drones at it and countries in the region that host U.S. allies or military bases, including Bahrain and Qatar.
The strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials – Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi and Commander-in-Chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Mohammad Pakpour.
While the men’s team is unsure what the future of the World Cup holds, the Iranian women’s football team made a statement during the opening match of the Women’s Asian Cup on Monday, refusing to sing as their national anthem was played over the loudspeakers at the Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast.
The players were in their usual line before their match against South Korea when the Iranian national anthem began to play. The women, staring straight ahead and barely moving, were stoic as there appeared to be boos from the crowd. Later, applause broke out among the spectators after South Korea’s 3-0 victory.
President Donald Trump watches his meeting with the White House Task Force on the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, November 17, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)
Iran coach Marziyeh Jafari was also seen smiling as she observed the silence of her players from the sidelines.
After the opening match of the World Cup, Iran will face Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
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