No one can rule us out: Iranian team rejects Trump’s suggestion to miss 2026 FIFA World Cup

Iran’s national football team has responded to US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that it not attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup due to security concerns, saying no one can exclude Iran from the World Cup tsn4.

Trump proposed Thursday Truth Social that the Iranian team’s «life and safety» could be at risk if it were to attend the global showcase in North America.

Doubts over Iran’s participation in the tournament jointly organized by Canada, Mexico and the US have been caused by the ongoing war caused by the US-Israeli attacks on February 28.

These doubts were accentuated by Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali’s comments on Wednesday that «under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup» given the ongoing conflict.

READ ALSO: Trump says Iran should not come to 2026 FIFA World Cup for ‘own life and safety’

The Iran national football team responded to Trump with a statement on the national team’s Instagram account, saying: «The World Cup is a historic and international event and its governing body is FIFA – not an individual country,» while noting that Iran was one of the very first teams to qualify for the World Cup.

It further reprimanded the US for its inability to guarantee the team’s security, noting: «Certainly, no one can exclude Iran’s national team from the World Cup; the only country that can be excluded is a country that merely bears the title of «host» yet is unable to provide security to the teams participating in this global event.

Trump’s statement came shortly after FIFA President Gianni Infantino gave assurances that Iran would be welcome at the event.

“President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is of course welcome to participate in the tournament in the United States,” he wrote after the meeting on Tuesday.

Published on March 13, 2026