Donald Trump, the former president of the United States, said that the Iranian national soccer team is “welcome” to the World Cup in the United States, but recommended that they not participate for “their own safety”.
“The Iran national football team is welcome to the World Cup, but I really don’t think it’s appropriate for them to be there, for their own safety,” he wrote on the Truth Social network.
The US leader’s message comes a day after Iranian Sports Minister Ahman Donyamali said that “there are no conditions” for his country to participate in the World Cup after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in the Israeli offensive and US offensive launched on February 28.
After the corrupt government killed our leader, there are no conditions for us to participate in the World Cup
“After the corrupt government killed our leader, there are no conditions for us to participate in the World Cup,” said the minister, who also stressed: “We have been subjected to two wars in eight or nine months, and thousands of our citizens have died. Therefore, we definitely have no chance of such participation.”
Meeting at the White House
On Tuesday, FIFA president Gianni Infantino met with Trump at the White House, where the US leader told him that the Iranian team was “welcome” at the World Cup.
“We talked about the current situation in Iran, and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. During the conversation, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States,” Infantino revealed on Instagram.
During the conversation, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States
The 2026 World Cup will be held in Mexico, Canada and the United States from June 11. The Iranian national team was scheduled to play its three matches in the United States; on June 15 and 21, in Los Angeles against New Zealand and Belgium, respectively; and on June 26 against Egypt, in Seattle.
In November, the US president guaranteed that Iranian players and coaches would be granted visas to enter the United States, but not the fans, citing national security reasons.
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