Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino, FIFA President, with the FIFA Peace Prize trophy
US President Donald Trump says the Iranian men’s national team are “welcome” to participate in the 2026 World Cup.
In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump, however, added that it would be inappropriate for Iran to feature at the football tournament “for their own life and safety”.
The US president’s comment came a day after Ahmad Donyamali, Iran’s sports minister, announced that Iran would not take part in the World Cup.
“The Iran national soccer team is welcome to the World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety,” Trump writes.
The 2026 World Cup will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. The tournament is scheduled to kick off on June 11.
Iran is one of 48 countries that qualified for the competition. The country is drawn in Group G alongside Egypt, Belgium and New Zealand. The Iranian national team are scheduled to play all their group games in Seattle and California in the US.
Iran has been in conflict with the US and Israel since February 28, with casualties including the death of Ayatollah Khamenei, the former Iranian supreme leader.
The war has led to the deaths of 1,255 people and wounded more than 12,000 in the first 12 days
