"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. 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."
"An official withdrawal by Iran from football's global showpiece would be the first in the modern era and would leave FIFA with the urgent task of finding a replacement. It is unclear whether FIFA would have time to replace Iran should they decide to withdraw from the 2026 tournament."
Iran qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America but faces uncertainty regarding participation following recent military tensions. Iran's sports minister declared it impossible for players to participate after US airstrikes, while President Trump stated Iran was welcome but questioned their safety. The AFC confirms it has received no official withdrawal notification from Iran's football federation, which maintains its intention to compete. An official withdrawal would be unprecedented in the modern era, forcing FIFA to implement contingency measures such as finding a replacement team or restructuring Group G to accommodate three teams instead of four.
#fifa-world-cup-2026 #iran-national-football-team #afc #geopolitical-tensions #tournament-participation
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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