Iranian team would be ‘welcome’ at US-hosted World Cup – FIFA chief
US President Donald Trump has given assurances that the Iranian team would be welcome at the football World Cup co-hosted by the US this summer, FIFA chief Gianni Infantino has said.
Infantino reported the position on Instagram on Tuesday, saying Trump “reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.”
Iran qualified for the World Cup finals and is scheduled to play three group games in the US, starting June 15. But Iranian representatives were absent from a recent FIFA planning meeting in Atlanta, fueling speculation the nation might not compete, particularly if the US refuses visas amid its campaign to topple the Iranian government.
Last week, Trump told Politico he did not care whether the Iranian team would participate, arguing Iran is “a very badly defeated country.” Mehdi Taj, president of Iran’s Soccer Federation, said after the attack “we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope.”
On Wednesday, Iranian Sport Minister Ahmad Donyamali said the country would not participate in the tournament “in view of the malicious measures taken against Iran” and the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by the “corrupt” US government.
”Two wars were forced upon us within eight or nine months, and several thousand of our people were killed. Therefore, we definitely have no possibility of participating in this way,” Donyamali said in a televised interview.
US officials have offered conflicting estimates on the war’s duration, moving from several days at the outset to several weeks more recently. Media reports suggest the Pentagon is preparing for at least three months of hostilities. Iranian officials say their forces could fight for years.
Many sports organizations globally, including the International Olympic Committee, sanctioned Russia and Belarus after the 2022 escalation of the Ukraine conflict, imposing blanket bans on athletes and barring national teams from competitions. No similar restrictions have been imposed, or even formally discussed, for the US and Israel.
The US-Israeli attack on Iran two weeks ago was described as preempting an imminent Iranian attack and preventing Tehran from building a nuclear weapon – an ambition it denies. The same justifications were used during last year’s 12-day conflict, also triggered by Israeli strikes on Iranian targets.
Infantino is among sports officials who have argued that bans and boycotts “don’t bring anything and just contribute to more hatred.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga branded the FIFA chief a “moral degenerate” for his remarks.
