Trump changes his mind and says Iran should not participate in 2026 FIFA World Cup

President Donald Trump said Iran's national team should not participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup - to be played between June and July in the United States, Canada and Mexico - for security reasons.

"Iran's national soccer team is welcome to the FIFA World Cup, but I really don't think it's appropriate for them to be there, for their own safety," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

A day earlier, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, reported that, after having a conversation with Trump, the Republican leader said the Iranian soccer players were "welcome" to the next edition of the world's most important soccer tournament.

"I met with President Donald Trump to discuss the status of preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup and the growing excitement with just 93 days to go before the tournament kicks off. We also discussed the current situation in Iran and the fact that the Iranian national team has qualified to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. During the talks, President Trump reiterated that of course the Iranian national team is welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States," explained the FIFA president.

From the Iran Football Federation, its president, Mehdi Taj, raised the idea of the Iranian national team not playing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite the fact that they had already achieved the ticket to be able to compete. He stressed that the country's top sports authorities would be the ones to decide whether or not to attend.

The Iranian national team earned its ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup a few months ago after advancing from the qualifiers. It is scheduled to play all its group stage games in the United States: two in Los Angeles - against New Zealand and Belgium - and one in Seattle - against Egypt -.