The Iranian ambassador to Kenya, Ali Gholampour, said on Monday that a continued war with the United States and Israel will “jeopardize” the participation of the Iranian national soccer team in the 2026 World Cup, which will begin on June 11 and will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Although the team is “prepared” to play the World Cup matches, Gholampour said during a press conference in Nairobi that the current circumstances are “very uncertain”.
“We do not know exactly what is going to happen and, if the situation continues, it will also jeopardize the participation of our national team,” added the Iranian diplomat.
These statements come after the president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mhedi Taj, told Iranian media that the country’s participation in the competition would be “inappropriate” under these conditions.
Iran had previously been drawn in Group G along with Belgium, New Zealand and Egypt, and was scheduled to play in the US cities of Los Angeles and Seattle.
Their withdrawal from the tournament, which will be played from June 11 to July 19, would involve the appointment of a replacement team in accordance with FIFA regulations.
After the attack coordinated by the United States and Israel against Iran on Saturday, Tehran responded with attacks against the Hebrew state and some of its neighbors such as Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq.
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