Iran's Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali has announced on state television that Iran will not participate in the FIFA tournament, calling the United States a "corrupt" regime. Iran are currently grouped with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand.
Speaking about the U.S., Donyamali said "considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup".
"Given the malicious actions they have carried out against Iran, they have forced two wars on us over eight or nine months and have killed and martyred thousands of our people. Therefore, we certainly cannot have such a presence. Our children are not safe and, fundamentally, such conditions for participation do not exist," he added.
Iran's U.N. ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani has said more than 1,300 Iranian civilians have been killed since the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes began on 28th February 2026.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has previously met U.S. President Donald Trump who told him he welcomed Iran to be in the World Cup. A source close to the decision-makers in Iran said it was also not possible for Iran to do warm-up games because of the war.
Infantino continued: "During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States".
Iran had picked the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson in Arizona to train in and pick as the base camp.
Pulling out potentially changes the schedule of the countries playing as they were originally grouped in Group G along with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand. Iran didn't attend the FIFA World Cup planning summit last week in Atlanta, Georgia.
The World Cup will be held in the U.S., Mexico and Canada from 11th June - 19th July.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 12 July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
France booked their place in the World Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Morocco on Thursday, as captain Kylian Mbappe overcame a missed penalty to play a decisive role in another dominant display by the two-time world champions.
Switzerland reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1954 after defeating Colombia 4-3 in a penalty shootout following a tense 0-0 draw that lasted 120 minutes on Tuesday.
England will face Norway in the World Cup quarter-finals after Erling Haaland scored twice late on to stun five-time champions Brazil 2-1 and send Norway into the last eight for the first time in their history.
The 4th Shusha Global Media Forum will bring together nearly 160 media leaders, experts and officials from 54 countries in Azerbaijan's historic city of Shusha on 13-14 July, to discuss journalism’s role in peacebuilding, restoring public trust and tackling challenges.
The U.S. has launched fresh strikes on Iran after Tehran targeted a container ship and said it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz. Iran also claimed to have expanded attacks on U.S. military facilities across the Gulf.
Typhoon Bavi, the strongest storm to hit the eastern coast of mainland China this year, brought heavy rain, strong winds, flooding and landslides after making landfall in Zhejiang province on Sunday. More than 2.8 million people were evacuated to safety ahead of the storm.
President Ilham Aliyev is holding his annual question-and-answer session with international journalists at the 4th Shusha Global Media Forum in Azerbaijan.
China has maintained its highest-level rainstorm warning after Typhoon Bavi made landfall on the country's eastern coast, urging large-scale evacuations and emergency preparations across several provinces amid fears of severe flooding and landslides
Tajikistan will reduce electricity exports and increase water reserves ahead of winter as the government seeks to improve domestic power supplies after last year’s seasonal shortages.
President Ilham Aliyev is holding his annual question-and-answer session with international journalists at the 4th Shusha Global Media Forum in Azerbaijan.
AnewZ has launched dedicated Azerbaijani-language digital platforms, making its journalism more accessible to Azerbaijani-speaking audiences.
At least six people, including a nine-year-old girl, were killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, 12 July, Palestinian health officials said.
Qatar is mourning the death of its former ruler, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who has passed away at the age of 74.
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