President Trump: I Don't Care About Iran in the 2026 World Cup

WASHINGTON DC, WEDNESDAY — US President Donald Trump has signaled that Iran will not be able to participate in the 2026 World Cup. Now, the fate of "Team Melli" is entirely in the hands of FIFA as the organizer of the largest football event, which will commence on June 11.

Iran and Japan are the two earliest teams to secure tickets to the 2026 World Cup. Under the guidance of Coach Amir Ghalenoei, Iran will participate in its seventh World Cup. Iran has consistently represented Asia in four consecutive editions of the World Cup since the 2014 edition in Brazil.

With the situation of war against the United States-Israel coalition, Iran's right to participate in the 2026 World Cup is at significant risk of being revoked by the US as the host nation. US President Donald Trump has sent signals indicating that entry visas will not be granted to the Iranian squad and staff.

"I really don't care (if Iran participates in the 2026 World Cup)," Trump said in a special interview with POLITICO, Tuesday (3/3/2025), in Washington DC, USA. The interview was published on Tuesday afternoon US time or Wednesday (4/3/2026) early morning WIB.

"I think Iran is a country that has been utterly defeated. They're exhausted," Trump continued.

Kompas emailed FIFA media representatives for a response to Trump's statement. However, as of the publication of this article, FIFA had not yet responded.

The latest statement from FIFA regarding the war situation between the US-Israel and Iran was made by FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom during the annual meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in Wales last weekend.

"Our focus is on delivering a safe World Cup for everyone who participates," Grafstrom said, as reported by the BBC.

Meanwhile, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has a close relationship with Trump. He was also present at the inaugural meeting of the Peace Council established by Trump on February 20.

Infantino was handed the commitment document from the Peace Council for the development of 50 football fields, a FIFA academy, and a stadium with a capacity of 20,000 seats in Gaza. The football project in Gaza is set to last for 36 months starting from February 2026.

Iran is in Group G of the 2026 World Cup alongside New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt. One of Asia's representatives will begin its competition on June 16 at 08:00 WIB against New Zealand.

Iran's first two matches in the 2026 World Cup will take place at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Los Angeles, USA. Iran's final match in the group stage will be held at Lumen Field, Seattle, USA.

The signal that Iran is "excluded" from the 2026 World Cup has also been evident during the FIFA meeting with 42 participating countries that have qualified for the main stage of the 2026 World Cup in Atlanta, USA, from Monday to Wednesday (2-4/3/2026). There was no representative from Iran at the meeting.

Indeed, the FIFA meeting is an official agenda for the federations participating in the 2026 World Cup to understand the technical aspects of the tournament, such as tournament facilities, match organization, commercial regulations, security, and health matters during the World Cup 2026, which will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The meeting was held by FIFA in conjunction with the White House's FIFA World Cup Task Force. Andrew Giuliani, director of the 2026 World Cup Task Force, told POLITICO that President Trump's actions toward Iran were an effort to protect the world.

"President Trump's decisive action to eliminate the Ayatollah (Ali Khamenei)—the most notorious state sponsor of terrorism in my lifetime—removes a major destabilizing factor and will protect people around the world, including U.S. citizens and millions planning to come to the 2026 World Cup in the U.S.," said Giuliani.

Iran's absence from the pre-tournament meeting for the 2026 World Cup is similar to the agenda of the qualifying round draw last December in Washington DC. The US Department of State did not approve all visa applications from six Iranian representatives to attend that event, including the President of the Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI), Mehdi Taj.

Regarding his team's preparations for the 2026 World Cup, Taj mentioned that an unfavorable situation surrounds Iran. Football competitions in Iran have been halted since February 27.

"What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot hope to participate in the World Cup. We leave everything to the world sports authorities," Taj told Iranian sports media outlet Varzesh3.

In the midst of the war situation, the only active football team in Iran is their women's team. The Iranian women's national team is currently competing in the 2026 Women's Asian Cup being held in Australia.

Iranian football, which is currently on hold, has also been targeted by false news regarding the decision of the national team's star striker, Mehdi Taremi, who allegedly wants to terminate his contract with the Greek team, Olympiacos, in order to return to Iran. Federico Pastorello, Taremi's agent, denied the rumors that his player would be leaving Olympiacos in the near future.

"The news about Mehdi Taremi doesn't reflect the true situation. Our player (Taremi) is fully focused on his duties in Athens and his professional career, his commitment and determination to football," Pastorello said, as reported by A Bola. (AP)