Iran is one of the 48 countries qualified for FIFA World Cup 2026, to take place in the US, Mexico, and Canada in June and July 2026. It was placed in Group G, against Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand, and will play three group stage matches in Seattle and Inglewood, California. It will be their sixth participation in World Cup, including the last three editions, but they have never gone beyond group stage.
Of course, after US and Israel launched a strike that killed the supreme leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday, starting a new active conflict in the Middle-East with up to 15 countries hit by retaliatory attacks, Iran's participation in the football competition is up in the air. Internally, however, FIFA officials still expect that Iran will participate.
FIFA General Secretary Mattias Grafstrom said on Saturday that "our focus is to have a safe World Cup with everybody participating", and according to sources from BBC, FIFA still expect Iran will be at the competition.
The participation of Iran at the World Cup has already led to tension, after Iran threatened to boycott the World Cup draw in Washington DC last December when USA denied the entrance to some Iranian football officials to the country, although they ended up attending the draw. "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", said Nick McGeehan of human rights advocacy group FairSquare.
Only time will tell how long the conflict will remain active, and specially how and how long the transition of power in Tehran will be. Iran's scheduled debut at World Cup will be on June 15, against New Zealand.