Iran still set to play in 2026 World Cup, says AFC representative

Iran has given no indication it intends to remove its national team from this summer's FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, a representative for the Asian Football Confederation said Monday.

The Iranian team, currently 20th in the FIFA rankings, is set to compete in its fourth consecutive World Cup and was placed in Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt and Japan.

However, that participation has been much debated after the United States and Israel launched a series of airstrikes in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 28 which killed former supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

President Donald Trump said last week that while the Iranian team is welcome to participate in the World Cup, it would be inappropriate for "their own life and safety."

Iran's sports minister said in the wake of the initial air strikes that it would be impossible for the country to participate in the event.

"It's a very emotional moment. Everybody's saying a lot of things," AFC general secretary Windsor John told reporters on Monday in Kuala Lumpur.

"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."

Iran's three group-stage matches are scheduled to be in the U.S., two in Los Angeles and the third in Seattle.

Should the country elect not to participate, it would put FIFA in a unique bind for the first 48-nation World Cup in history. A replacement team could be named, either from the next-highest-ranked AFC squad or perhaps a team competing in this month's playoffs to determine the final six spots.

Or, FIFA could elect to not replace Iran, instead adjusting the group to only contain three teams.