United States President Donald Trump suggested that Iran’s men’s national soccer team skip the upcoming FIFA World Cup for their own safety. “The Iranian National Soccer Team is welcome to the World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday morning.
Trump’s post comes after Iranian Sports and Youth Minister Ahmad Donyamali told state television earlier this week that Iran’s soccer players are not safe in the U.S. It has been nearly two weeks since the United States and Israel began joint military strikes on Iran, which has said that over 1,300 people have died since the attacks began on Feb. 28.
“Due to the wicked acts they have done against Iran — they have imposed two wars on us over just eight or nine months and have killed and martyred thousands of our people — definitely it’s not possible for us to take part in the World Cup,” Donyamali said on Tuesday.
Trump:
The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety. pic.twitter.com/AyqG2hH6Mu
— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 12, 2026
As of publication, the Iranian men’s soccer team had not addressed either Donyamali’s or Trump’s comments. The president of the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran, Mehdi Taj, said last week that he felt the team could not look forward to the World Cup with “hope.”
It is unclear what would happen if Iran opts out of the World Cup. The team currently has three scheduled games, the first two of which are against New Zealand and Belgium in Inglewood, Calif., on June 15 and June 21, respectively. Iran will finish group play against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
As of Thursday afternoon, no World Cup officials have publicly shared a potential backup plan. It is unknown whether FIFA would consider moving the games to another location; the U.S. is co-hosting the World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico, neither of which is participating in the ongoing military strikes.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino shared on Wednesday night that he had met with Trump, who reiterated that Iran is free to compete in the World Cup.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino:
“This evening, I met with the President of the 🇺🇸 United States, Donald J. Trump to discuss the status of preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, and the growing excitement as we are set to kick off in just 93 days.
“We also spoke about…
— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) March 11, 2026
“We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever,” Infantino wrote on Instagram, “and I sincerely thank the President of the United States for his support, as it shows once again that Football Unites the World.”
FIFA has also not announced which country would replace Iran in the World Cup if needed, though Iraq, Italy, and the UAE have been floated on social media as potential alternates.
Australia has granted asylum to five members of Iran’s women’s soccer team after players chose not to sing the national anthem during a recent Asian Cup match against South Korea. Trump had said that the U.S. would help the entire Iranian women’s soccer team if Australia did not provide assistance.
