FIFA World Cup 2026 :Canada/Mexico/United States: Discussion Thread

[TedMosby]

I just read this statement on X, from the FIFA President, Gianni Infantino:

We also spoke about the current situation in Iran, and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026. During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.

I mean, no chance for Iran to participate in the World Cup this year. Even if they are allowed by the host, their own country might not allow them to go. A FIFA ban means nothing compared to the stability of their country.

In another scenario, if they decide to go, what about the supporters? I am sure there will be discrimination against Iranian supporters. At least excessive checks for them, and they will definitely be monitored continuously both outside and inside the stadium.

[asriloni]

I just read this statement on X, from the FIFA President, Gianni Infantino:

We also spoke about the current situation in Iran, and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026. During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.

I mean, no chance for Iran to participate in the World Cup this year. Even if they are allowed by the host, their own country might not allow them to go. A FIFA ban means nothing compared to the stability of their country.

In another scenario, if they decide to go, what about the supporters? I am sure there will be discrimination against Iranian supporters. At least excessive checks for them, and they will definitely be monitored continuously both outside and inside the stadium.

No doubt. Iran is officially out of the competition. even their sport ministry has confirmed it during his interview with a reporter says he's not letting their NT club to participate in a competition that hosted by the countries that assasinated their leader.

So, it's confirmed Iraq is gonna take the place. I don't wanna blame Infantino caused by what he sad totally make sense too.

[KTChampions]

Iran won't play at the World Cup, says sports minister Ahmad Donyamali

"Since this corrupt government assassinated our leader, we have no conditions under which we can participate in the World Cup," Donyamali said in a television interview.

"In view of the malicious measures taken against Iran, 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."

https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2026/0311/1562753-iran-welcome-in-us-for-the-world-cup-claims-infantino/

Well, the situation was resolved quickly and in a simpler way than I expected.
I still hope that there will be more teams that decide not to participate in this dubious tournament. Of course, as a football fan, I would be hurt by the cancellation of the tournament, but in today's circumstances, it seems immoral and disgusting, plus the US and Mexico don't look particularly safe or organized.

[giorgione]

This is not an option that is in fact up to FIFA, they have done nothing wrong to deserve the exclusion, this is clearly a fact due to political decisions that certainly do not concern FIFA, but they make agreements with certain nations to the detriment of others so i would not be surprised if there was some hitch underneath
So, are you somehow suggesting that FIFA would find an excuse to exclude Iran from the World Cup while keeping (of course) the USA? Because I really don't see how they could justify excluding the country that got attacked (let's leave outside Iran's political situation which was/is a mess) while keeping the country that attacked them? Because that would be too much even for FIFA. This situation will probably solve by itself because Iran will announce their withdrawing from the competition.

FIFA cannot behave in this way and decide exclusions or decide things that they have no say in the least. The situation in the country is unstable and it is a state problem. i don't think it is that important at a sporting level. They should actually push the national team to participate. Resignation should not even be considered.

I think we can all agree.

[Agbe]

This is not an option that is in fact up to FIFA, they have done nothing wrong to deserve the exclusion, this is clearly a fact due to political decisions that certainly do not concern FIFA, but they make agreements with certain nations to the detriment of others so i would not be surprised if there was some hitch underneath
So, are you somehow suggesting that FIFA would find an excuse to exclude Iran from the World Cup while keeping (of course) the USA? Because I really don't see how they could justify excluding the country that got attacked (let's leave outside Iran's political situation which was/is a mess) while keeping the country that attacked them? Because that would be too much even for FIFA. This situation will probably solve by itself because Iran will announce their withdrawing from the competition.

FIFA will not tell any Nation to back up but if any of the conflicting Nations decided to boycott the World Cup because of the conflict that going on in the Middle East and FIFA will not object it because of the conflict. If Iran go ahead and play in US soil, FIFA doesn't know what will happen. Opportunity they said comes but once. And from the way the war is going, I don't think Iran will participate. But USA will participate since they are co hosting Nation. But the security will be very tight.

[Fiatless]

I just read this statement on X, from the FIFA President, Gianni Infantino:

We also spoke about the current situation in Iran, and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026. During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.

I mean, no chance for Iran to participate in the World Cup this year. Even if they are allowed by the host, their own country might not allow them to go. A FIFA ban means nothing compared to the stability of their country.

In another scenario, if they decide to go, what about the supporters? I am sure there will be discrimination against Iranian supporters. At least excessive checks for them, and they will definitely be monitored continuously both outside and inside the stadium.

They should not go to the World Cup if their security is not guaranteed in the US. The Iranian government might decide to stop the national team from competing if it wants to use it as a means of protest. The government might also want to avoid the embarrassment of players claiming asylum, like the case of the female Iranian national team in Australia.

There are many Iranians and Arab citizens in the US who will give the team the needed support.   

[Ale88]

I don't think Iran is ready to solve other people's problems. I'd guess that if they don't go to the World Cup, they'll announce it literally at the last minute, or even boycott the competition altogether so the organizers don't have time to resolve the situation or find a replacement. It seems to me that this would be the most rational behavior - why make life easier for scoundrels and corrupt officials? The unexpected breakdown of the games' structure will once again remind everyone (perhaps by summer the war will end and everyone will begin to pretend that nothing happened) of how everything was.

Iran's problems are caused by some internal problems, which all countries have. Of course, there are more with dictatorships. Clearly, these countries are unstable and America, which never minds its own business, had to intervene. It seems to me that they want to intervene at all costs. i would still let them participate in the World Cup.

In this case everything began (once again) because of Israel: they told the USA they were going to attack Iran with a minimum notice, and they did it on purpose so there was so way to talk them out of this idea, so basically they put the USA against the wall because they could join or ignore them. And of course the USA had to join their best ally in the Middle East. At this point the amount of power and pressure Israel can put on the USA is quite astonishing, more and more often I wonder who is really in charge

Well, the situation was resolved quickly and in a simpler way than I expected.

Well, I don't want to say I told you but...

[Hispo]

Iran won't play at the World Cup, says sports minister Ahmad Donyamali

"Since this corrupt government assassinated our leader, we have no conditions under which we can participate in the World Cup," Donyamali said in a television interview.

"In view of the malicious measures taken against Iran, 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."

https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2026/0311/1562753-iran-welcome-in-us-for-the-world-cup-claims-infantino/

Well, the situation was resolved quickly and in a simpler way than I expected.
I still hope that there will be more teams that decide not to participate in this dubious tournament. Of course, as a football fan, I would be hurt by the cancellation of the tournament, but in today's circumstances, it seems immoral and disgusting, plus the US and Mexico don't look particularly safe or organized.

Honestly, this is a completely political move from the regime of Iran, so the world cup won't serve as a distribution for their people to look away to everything which is going on their country.
From the point of view of the leadership of Iran it makes complete sense not to participate in this incoming Football World Cup.

It would have been very uncomfortable to have Iranian football players steeping on USA soil in order to participate in the event,.while their country is getting on fire.

[cande86]

Heimo Schirgi --- FIFA's chief operating officer said it is too big a deal to postpone the world cup, meaning there is too much money in it so no matter what happens with the US-IRAN war the tournament will continue.

Indeed, the World Cup is now impossible to postpone, so FIFA has a lot to lose even if they don't promote peace, I don't know exactly how Iran's participation will be, but I will wait for more news.

https://x.com/FCGeopolitics/status/2031321754342240287

For me, FIFA always takes the trouble to say and do things that it shouldn't even think about, i don't expect FIFA to do anything against Iran, which is waging war against a state that attacked them first. i continue to say that Iran cannot not participate and they must do everything in the name of peace.

[ndutndut]

I just read this statement on X, from the FIFA President, Gianni Infantino:

We also spoke about the current situation in Iran, and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026. During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.

I mean, no chance for Iran to participate in the World Cup this year. Even if they are allowed by the host, their own country might not allow them to go. A FIFA ban means nothing compared to the stability of their country.

In another scenario, if they decide to go, what about the supporters? I am sure there will be discrimination against Iranian supporters. At least excessive checks for them, and they will definitely be monitored continuously both outside and inside the stadium.

They should not go to the World Cup if their security is not guaranteed in the US. The Iranian government might decide to stop the national team from competing if it wants to use it as a means of protest. The government might also want to avoid the embarrassment of players claiming asylum, like the case of the female Iranian national team in Australia.

There are many Iranians and Arab citizens in the US who will give the team the needed support.   

That's right. Iran has officially declared its inability to participate in this year's World Cup due to the current situation, which is impossible due to the war. It has also disrupted neighboring countries, such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia and several others. The disruption to flights, especially with the World Cup just around the corner, will also impact the organization of this year's World Cup.

Honestly, this is the worst World Cup in history. With the competition only a few months away, the euphoria surrounding the World Cup hasn't been as enthusiastic as previous World Cups. It could be said that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East involving the United States and Israel has made it unsafe for fans to watch. FIFA also has a double standard when it comes to sanctioning countries. For example, Russia was immediately banned by FIFA for its attack on Ukraine, but FIFA refused to sanction Israel and the United States. Israel didn't qualify for the World Cup, but they did participate in the qualifying rounds yesterday.

[Lucius]

~snip~
In another scenario, if they decide to go, what about the supporters? I am sure there will be discrimination against Iranian supporters. At least excessive checks for them, and they will definitely be monitored continuously both outside and inside the stadium.

Make no mistake, when it comes to visitors, many others will be discriminated against in some way when entering the US - because even though I'm from the EU and don't need a visa to travel to the US before I'm allowed to enter the country, I would have to present a lot of things that really don't make sense if I'm coming from a friendly country. I don't know if these rules will come into effect before the World Cup, but I would never agree to something like that.

Expanded "high-value data fields," including applicants' social media accounts from the past five years, phone numbers and email addresses going back a decade, IP addresses, and even biometrics such as fingerprints, face, DNA and iris scans when feasible. These additions stem from a January executive order targeting foreign terrorist threats.

[Wakate]

Heimo Schirgi --- FIFA's chief operating officer said it is too big a deal to postpone the world cup, meaning there is too much money in it so no matter what happens with the US-IRAN war the tournament will continue.

Indeed, the World Cup is now impossible to postpone, so FIFA has a lot to lose even if they don't promote peace, I don't know exactly how Iran's participation will be, but I will wait for more news.

https://x.com/FCGeopolitics/status/2031321754342240287

I don't really see a good reason why they world cup should be postponed and the United States should bring peace to the region so it will not affect the world cup and the price of fuel. The price of oil has surged due to the the war and I don't think Iran is ready to back down looking at how they have been affected in this war. It is only the United States that is going to stop the war or face the consequences.

[Agbe]

Iran to boycott 2026 World Cup despite Trump’s safety assurance

I first saw the news in our continental football thread in the forum and I made a research on it and I found out that it is true the Iran will not play/participate in the 2026 was world. I have said this here. In normal human sense, Iran will not participate in this world cup because of the war.

[slapper]

I have been seeing those talks lately but for now it still feels like a lot of speculation FIFA usually tries to keep politics from affecting the tournament and will likely push for Iran to participate if they qualify.  If anything changes they will be probably disqualified until then it is best to wait for an official statement rather than relying on rumors.

Before we say things like this, we have to analyze the actions and the events surrounding. US is hosting the world cup and Us is having a serious war with Iran, do you think Iran will go and play in US? US will also be afraid of suicide bombing by Iranian revolutionaries, and Iranians are not on the stable mine for now. Many have render homeless. Players have scattered around the middle East. So it will be hard for them to participate.

This problem in Iran has been going on for many years, and honestly, I don't believe they want to get along with other countries. I don't believe they take football and other sports seriously. When I say "they," I'm referring to the Iranian government. The players and coaches may be passionate about football and want to play in the World Cup, but unfortunately, they have a very problematic government that wouldn't hesitate to blackmail the players into doing bad things in the USA.

And the US officials know this very well. So, even if Iran participated in the World Cup, they would be extremely closely watched. They would probably deploy thousands of police and military personnel to monitor the entire Iranian delegation.

If I were a US official, I would do that, and they would also monitor all Iranian citizens who want to watch the games. I don't know if they will be allowed to enter the USA. But if they go, then they shouldn't expect trustworthy treatment; they will be treated as suspects, and rightfully so, through the fault of their own government.

America was supposed to get like 875 million dollars for World Cup security. Federal grants. $0 has actually arrived. Miami could cancel fan fest altogether. New York already scrapped theirs. The government closed down in February and the security money sank into bureaucracy.

So this image of thousand of coordinated police watching the every move of Iran. Bro they can't even afford crowd barriers.

But okay, to the real Iran situation. Everybody quietly benefits from Iran not showing up. Everyone. The US doesn't have the unsolvable security nightmare. FIFA doesn't need to deal with an impossible legal question. And Iran's squad was aging, it depended on two players to do pretty much everything, and it had never (not once) gotten out of group stage in seven world cups. Ghalenoei is a smart coach but Belgium would've been brutal.

What's messed up is that's the players who lose. Taremi's probably never playing a world cup. Azmoun either. These guys spent years in those qualifiers and the regime just decided it wasn't worth the optics.

That part I really feel, you know. That part is just sad.

[7juju]

Iran to boycott 2026 World Cup despite Trump’s safety assurance

I first saw the news in our continental football thread in the forum and I made a research on it and I found out that it is true the Iran will not play/participate in the 2026 was world. I have said this here. In normal human sense, Iran will not participate in this world cup because of the war.

It was as if Iran authorities read my previous post were I said they should voluntarily boycott the FIFA World Cup. With how the tension has been recently there won’t be anyway that the full safety of the Iranian players and their traveling fans would have been guaranteed. Even if the organizers are assuring them that nothing will happen, but there might be other fans from different countries that Iran have attacked and killed their people might retaliate and want to harm them.

The Iranian players won’t even fully focused on the matches. Had it been that the war happened like two years ago, it would have been different as people would have forgotten some of the things that happened. But this one the memories are still fresh so it’s not advisable for Iran to participate. Glad they withdrew on their own and nobody forced them to withdraw.

[Pumared]

Iran to boycott 2026 World Cup despite Trump’s safety assurance

I first saw the news in our continental football thread in the forum and I made a research on it and I found out that it is true the Iran will not play/participate in the 2026 was world. I have said this here. In normal human sense, Iran will not participate in this world cup because of the war.

I wouldn't call it a boycott. They won't participate for political reasons within their own country. I don't understand why they won't go even with complete security; perhaps some supreme leader is afraid the players won't return or will seek some kind of political asylum in the US. But it's a shame that it has to turn into this; they should play in the World Cup and would certainly face the US. It would be interesting.

[Ale88]

Iran to boycott 2026 World Cup despite Trump’s safety assurance

I first saw the news in our continental football thread in the forum and I made a research on it and I found out that it is true the Iran will not play/participate in the 2026 was world. I have said this here. In normal human sense, Iran will not participate in this world cup because of the war.

I wouldn't call it a boycott. They won't participate for political reasons within their own country.

Look, I really don't want to defend Iran because surely I'm not a fan of their Islamic regime and I really feel bad for all the people who lost their life just because they were asking for more rights, but Iran's withdrawal from the World Cup is all about the USA and Israel, not their internal problems. Hadn't Iran be attacked, they would (probably) still take part to the World Cup.

[Sithara007]

Look, I really don't want to defend Iran because surely I'm not a fan of their Islamic regime and I really feel bad for all the people who lost their life just because they were asking for more rights, but Iran's withdrawal from the World Cup is all about the USA and Israel, not their internal problems. Hadn't Iran be attacked, they would (probably) still take part to the World Cup.

Agreed with this post. I have said multiple times that sport and politics should be kept apart. But that rarely happens nowadays. The Iranian women's team is currently in Australia, for the AFC Asian Women's Cup. Some of the players have applied for asylum in Australia saying that they don't want to go back to Iran. It has actually tarnished the reputation of Iran. And there is a good chance that something like this can happen during the FIFA World Cup as well. If it happens, then it will be a massive setback for Iran. Now I don't want to go into the debate whether these female players applied on their own, or applied as a result of carrots thrown at them by the Australians.

[Rikafip]

Iran to boycott 2026 World Cup despite Trump’s safety assurance

I first saw the news in our continental football thread in the forum and I made a research on it and I found out that it is true the Iran will not play/participate in the 2026 was world. I have said this here. In normal human sense, Iran will not participate in this world cup because of the war.

Its the only reasonable and logical thing that Iran could have done, as it makes no sense to play football in a country that bombs the shit out of your own country, no matter how many "safety assurances" US promised.

[Sithara007]

Its the only reasonable and logical thing that Iran could have done, as it makes no sense to play football in a country that bombs the shit out of your own country, no matter how many "safety assurances" US promised.

It is sad that Iran won't be able to participate in the world cup. And it's not their fault that they are getting bombed left, right and centre by Netanyahu/Trump. If they surrender to the Israel/US axis (similar to what Venezuela did), then there won't be any bombing and they can participate in the world cup. But the Iranians are too proud to do something like that. Persian civilization is 9,000 years old, compared to the Americans who first settled North America just a few hundred years ago. BTW, Israel can't participate in the world cup either. In their case, they finished third in UEFA Group I and got kicked out of the qualifiers.