Donald Trump to welcome Iran at the World Cup, says Infantino

Martin Macdonald

• 11 Mar 2026 10:30 CDT
• 2 min read

News

FIFA president Gianni Infantino says United States president Donald Trump will welcome the Iran national team to the World Cup despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Two weeks ago, the United States, in collaboration with Israel, bombed Iran and its capital, Tehran.

Iran retaliated with targeted bombings at strategic venues in the Middle East, such as Israel, Dubai, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Each of these were targeted as they host US army bases.

There is no sign of a ceasefire currently and air travel has been suspended in most areas in the region.

"With what happened... and with that attack by the United States, it is unlikely that we can look forward to the World Cup, but the sports chiefs are the ones who must decide on that," Iran football federation president Mehdi Taj told Iranian television last week.

FIFA have not made a decision yet but general secretary Mattias Grafstrom said "our focus is to have a safe World Cup with everybody participating".

Trump, for his part, isn't concerning himself with Iran's participation. When asked about it, he told Politico: “I really don’t care [if Iran participate]. I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes.”

Infantino has since claimed that Iran will be welcomed, however.

"During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States," the FIFA president 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."

Should Iran not participate, they will be replaced by another country from that region, with Iraq and the United Arab Emirates the favourites to win their spot, though Iraq could qualify anyway via an intercontinental playoff.

"We are in uncharted territory in that we are just over three months away from the start of the World Cup and the hosts have just launched a war of aggression against a participating country," Nick McGeehan of human rights advocacy group FairSquare told BBC Sport.

"If Iran withdraws its team - an outcome that seems entirely plausible - Fifa is likely to breathe a sigh of relief given the scope for protest and unrest."

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