3 min readMar 13, 2026 06:02 PM IST
After US president Donald Trump said on Thursday he did not think it would be “appropriate” for the Iranian football team to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States for their own life and safety’, the Iran football team posted their response on their Instagram account.
“The World Cup is a historic and international event and its governing body is FIFA – not any individual, country. Certainly, no one can exclude Iran’s national team from the World Cup; the only country that could be excluded is one that merely carries the title of host’ yet lacks the ability to provide security for the teams participating in this global event,” the football team said on its Instagram story.
On Thursday, Trump had posted on his social media site, “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.” The US is hosting the tournament with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
Trump’s message appears to depart somewhat from what he relayed Tuesday at the White House to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who later publicly said that Trump assured him the Iranian players and coaches would be welcome. A White House official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss private conversations, had confirmed Trump’s message to Infantino about Iran’s participation, according to Associated Press.
On Thursday, the White House did not immediately clarify what Trump meant by “their own life and safety,” such as whether he anticipated threats against them while in the country after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that began Feb. 28.
Iran is scheduled to play in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21, before finishing group play in Seattle against Egypt on June 26.
Since June, Iran has been subject to a travel ban into the U.S. as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. But athletes and coaches from the target nations are exempt, which means the Iranian team would be allowed to enter the U.S.
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