United States President Donald Trump made a blunt and controversial remark this week, saying he “really doesn’t care” whether Iran participates in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, as geopolitical tensions continue to cloud the tournament’s future.
Speaking in an interview with Politico on Tuesday, Trump was asked about uncertainty over Iran’s involvement in the June-to-July World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. Instead of downplaying the issue, he delivered a stark response. “I really don’t care,” Trump said, adding that Iran was “a very badly defeated country” that was “running on fumes.”
Iran qualified for its fourth consecutive World Cup and is drawn in Group G with New Zealand national football team, Belgium national football team, and Egypt national football team. Its group matches are scheduled in U.S. cities including Los Angeles and Seattle.
However, the team’s participation has been thrown into question amid a sharp escalation in regional conflict following reported U.S. and Israel strikes on Iranian targets, actions that have triggered retaliatory attacks by Iran on American and allied positions across the Gulf.
The Iranian Football Federation’s president, Mehdi Taj, has publicly voiced concern over the situation, saying recent events make it difficult to look toward the World Cup with “hope” and casting further doubt on Tehran’s willingness, or ability, to send its team to the United States for the competition.
World football’s governing body, FIFA, has sought to keep geopolitics separate from the tournament and has emphasized its desire for all qualified teams to participate. But Iran’s absence from recent FIFA planning events and continued diplomatic friction have underscored the challenges ahead.
Iran’s potential withdrawal would also trigger complicated logistics for FIFA, which would need to identify a replacement side and manage tournament integrity, a scenario without precedent in modern World Cup history.