The Iranian football team responded to Donald Trump’s recent comments, stating that no one can prevent them from playing in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the USA. On Thursday, Trump posted on social media that the Iranian team were welcome for the tournament, despite his country’s ongoing war with Iran, but it would not be appropriate for them to travel to the USA, ‘for their own life and safety.’
Taking to Instagram, the Iranian football team said that the American team should be excluded from the tournament as Trump couldn’t guarantee the safety of their players. All three of Iran’s World Cup group-stage games are scheduled to be held in the US. Trump’s social media post came after Iran’s sports minister Ahmad Donyamali told state TV that the country couldn’t participate in the tournament due to the ongoing war.
Taking a U-turn from their sports minister’s words, the Iranian football team stated, “The World Cup is a historic and international event and its governing body is FIFA – not any individual, country”.
“Certainly, no one can exclude Iran’s national team from the World Cup; the only country that could be excluded is one that merely carries the title of ‘host’ yet lacks the ability to provide security for the teams participating in this global event.”
Trump’s social media post came after FIFA chief Infantino stated that the US president had assured him of the Iranian team’s safety. Meanwhile, in December last year, Infantino also created the FIFA Peace Prize, awarding it to Trump.
Infantino wrote in a recent Instagram post, “President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.”
“We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever, and I sincerely thank the President of the United States for his support, as it shows once again that Football Unites the World.”