There is no official confirmation that Iran has withdrawn from the 2026 World Cup, AFC: They will play

Iran is still on the list of participants in the 2026 World Cup (Instagram/@iran_football_federation).

JAKARTA - The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) confirmed that Iran will still play in the 2026 World Cup, which will start in June 2026 in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

In a social media post last week in reaction to comments by US President Donald Trump, the Iranian national team said no one could exclude them from playing in the global tournament.

On Monday, March 16, 2026, AFC General Secretary Windsor John said that his party had not heard anything that indicated that Iran would not participate in the 2026 World Cup.

"They are our members. We want them to play. As far as we know, Iran will play. This is a very emotional moment, everyone says a lot of things."

"In the end, it is the Federation (of Iranian Football) who should decide whether they will play or not. To this day, the Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) has told us that they will go to the 2026 World Cup," Windsor said in a press conference at the AFC headquarters, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Trump has posted on social media that Iran is welcome at the 2026 World Cup despite the ongoing war with Iran. However, the US President suggested that Iran better withdraw from the world's biggest football party for their lives.

"I really don't believe that it's appropriate for them to be there, for their own lives and safety," Trump said.

Meanwhile, the regional war has raised doubts about Iran's ability to fulfill its obligations at the 2026 World Cup.

Iran's Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali had previously told state television last week that the current circumstances meant it was impossible to play.

However, the Iranian national team's response on Instagram confirmed that they still want to participate and showed that the tournament was organized by FIFA, not Trump or the US.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Monday local time that FIFA must respond to Trump's doubts.

"FIFA is the organizer of the World Cup. When warnings are issued at the highest level about an unsafe environment for Iranian soccer players, this shows that the host country seems to lack the capacity and ability to provide security for such an important sporting event," Baghaei said.

FIFA has not commented in recent days other than an Instagram post by FIFA President Gianni Infantino after meeting Trump at the White House last week.

Infantino wrote that he had assurances that Iran was accepted. This was followed by a post from Trump, who said that this summer's tournament would be the biggest and best ever. In addition, all players, staff, and teams will be safe while competing.

Iran is scheduled to play all three of its 2026 World Cup group games in the US. They will face New Zealand on June 16, 2026 in Inglewood, California.

The second match against Belgium on June 21, 2026, will also be held at the same venue, before completing the group match in Seattle against Egypt on June 27, 2026.

Iran are a force in Asian football, ranked 20th in FIFA and have qualified for four consecutive World Cup editions.

Prior to the World Cup, FFIRI officials were scheduled to attend the FIFA Annual Congress on April 30, 2026 in Vancouver.

Meanwhile, earlier the Iranian Football Federation was unable to attend a meeting in Atlanta last week to help the team prepare for the 48-nation tournament.