In a surprising declaration from the White House, former President Donald Trump has urged Iran’s national soccer team to reconsider participating in the upcoming World Cup, citing concerns for their “own life and safety.” The tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, has seen growing uncertainty regarding Iran’s involvement due to heightened tensions with the US and Israel. Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to voice his opinion, stating, “The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

These remarks followed the Iranian sports minister’s indirect confirmation of the team’s likely withdrawal from the tournament. This decision comes after recent US and Israeli military actions resulted in the death of Iran’s supreme leader, leading to a series of retaliatory strikes. Mehdi Taj, head of Iran’s football federation, expressed skepticism about Iran’s participation, saying, “It is unlikely that we can look forward to the cup.” Ahmad Donyamal, Iran’s sports minister, reinforced this sentiment, declaring there are “no conditions under which we can participate” and “no possibility” of joining the tournament.

In a televised interview with RTE, Donyamal elaborated on the decision, stating, “Since this corrupt government assassinated our leader, we have no conditions under which we can participate in the World Cup.” He further criticized the hostile actions, noting that two wars were thrust upon Iran in less than a year, resulting in significant casualties. When asked by Politico about Iran’s potential absence from the World Cup, President Trump bluntly responded, “I really don’t care.”

The World Cup will be staged across the US, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, with Iran due to face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on 15 and 21 June, respectively, as well as Egypt in Seattle on 26 June. Back in December, FIFA president Gianni Infantino awarded Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize. He later claimed he had been given assurances from the president that the Iranian football team would be ‘welcome’ at the tournament. ‘This evening, I met with the President of the United States, Donald J Trump to discuss the status of preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, and the growing excitement as we are set to kick off in just 93 days,’ Infantino said in a statement.

‘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. ‘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.’ Iran secured a place in a fourth successive World Cup by finishing top of Group A in Asian qualifying. The team was slated to be based at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona.