I don’t care if Iran plays at 2026World Cup – Trump

I don’t care if Iran plays at 2026
World Cup – Trump
March 4, 2026 11:35 am
By Okiki Adeduyite
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United States President, Donald Trump, has said he is
unconcerned about whether Iran national football team
participates in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, amid growing
uncertainty surrounding the country’s involvement in the
tournament.
Trump made the remark in an interview with Politico on
Tuesday, saying, “I really don’t care,” if Iran takes part in the
competition.
“I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running
on fumes,” he stated.
Questions have emerged over Iran’s participation following
rising tensions in the Middle East and concerns about whether
Iranian officials and supporters would be allowed entry into the
United States, one of the host nations of the tournament.
The US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iranian
targets on Saturday.
Iran later retaliated with missile and drone attacks on
American and allied facilities across the Gulf region, raising
fears of a wider regional conflict.
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The global football governing body, FIFA, has traditionally
sought to keep politics separate from the World Cup, which
will be hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
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Iran had earlier qualified for the tournament and is scheduled
to face New Zealand national football team, Belgium national
football team and Egypt national football team during the
group stage.
However, Iran’s football federation president, Mehdi Taj,
recently suggested that the current security situation could
affect the country’s plans to participate.
“What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be
expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Taj told
the Iranian sports outlet Varzesh3 following the strikes.
The tournament, scheduled for 2026, will be the first World
Cup hosted by three countries and is expected to attract
millions of fans from around the world.