2026 World Cup: AFC Responds As Trump Questions Iran’s Participation Over Safety

• The Asian Football Confederation has reacted to rumours that Iran has withdrawn from the 2026 FIFA World Cup
• Iran has formally confirmed that they will withdraw from the tournament amid escalations with US and Israel
• US and Israel launched a joint military combat operation in Iran on February 28, leading to a war in the region

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The Asian Football Confederation has spoken amid rumours that Iran have formally withdrawn from the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.

Iran qualified for the tournament but has considered withdrawing from it due to the ongoing war with the United States and the State of Israel.

US and Israel launched a joint combat operation on Iran on February 28, which has led to the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials.

Iran, in response to the attacks which continues, have attacked other Middle Eastern countries, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

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This has sparked a war in the Gulf region, an escalation that could last months or even years for normalcy to be restored in the oil-rich region.

Iran Football Federation President Mehdi Taj earlier claimed that the country was considering withdrawing from that World Cup should the aggression continue.

According to BBC Sports, Iran's sports minister Ahmad Donyamali confirmed that the decision has been made and they will not participate at the World Cup.

"Given that this corrupt government has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances do we have the appropriate conditions to participate in the World Cup. Our boys are not safe, and conditions for participation do not exist,” Donyamali said.

AFC reacts to Iran's rumoured withdrawal

AFC general secretary Windsor John in a video shared by AP News, has spoken about Iran’s proposed withdrawal from the World Cup, claiming that the federation has not informed the confederation.

“It’s a very emotional moment. ⁠Everybody’s saying a lot of things. At the end of the day, it’s the federation who should decide if they’re playing, and as ⁠of today, the federation has told us that they are going to the World Cup,” he said as quoted by Al Jazeera.

“They ⁠are our member. We want them ⁠to play. You know, they qualified, … so we hope that they will solve their issues, whatever it is, and be able to participate.”

John confirmed that even though the withdrawal has not been confirmed, FIFA has proper guidelines for a replacement and will act accordingly.

Fans have suggested that FIFA move Iran's group stage games, which will take place in Seattle and Los Angeles to either Canada and Mexico to allow Iran participate.

Team Melli sends message to Donald Trump

Legit.ng previously reported that Team Melli sent a message to Donald Trump after his comments about Iran's participation at the 2026 World Cup

The Iran national team hit back at the US President, claiming he doesn't have the power to stop them from participating at the tournament they legally qualified for.