Iran Withdraws from 2026 World Cup, Sports Minister Reveals Reasons
Source: Trofi FIFA World Cup datang ke Jakarta
The Iranian national team has reportedly decided to withdraw from the FIFA World Cup 2026. Iran's Minister of Sports, Ahmad Doyanmali, confirmed the decision was made in response to the deteriorating political and security situation.
"Given that the corrupt regime of the United States has killed our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup," stated Doyanmali as quoted by OneFootball on Wednesday, March 11, 2026.
According to him, besides geopolitical tensions, the decision was also based on security considerations for the Iranian National Team squad.
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He stated that the current conditions make it impossible for the Iranian National Team to participate in a tournament where most of its group stage matches are held in the United States.
The situation escalated following the death of Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, which the Iranian government attributed to the impact of the conflict with the United States.
"Our people are not safe, and fundamentally, the conditions for participation do not exist. Considering the evil actions they have taken against Iran," explained Doyanmali.
He added that Iran has been forced to face two wars in the last eight or nine months, resulting in thousands of casualties.
"Therefore, we certainly cannot have such a presence," he added.
FIFA Regulations
Amid the controversy over Iran's withdrawal from the 2026 World Cup, FIFA regulations actually stipulate strict sanctions for teams withdrawing from the tournament.
Based on official FIFA rules, teams withdrawing at least 30 days before the first match can be fined a minimum of 250,000 Swiss francs, or approximately IDR 5.4 billion.
However, financial fines are not the only possible consequence.
The regulations also open the possibility for FIFA to impose additional disciplinary sanctions on the relevant federation.
"Disciplinary sanctions may include the expulsion of the member association concerned from the next FIFA competition and/or the replacement of the participating member association by another member association," states the regulation.
Furthermore, the world football governing body has the authority to appoint a replacement team.
"The FIFA Council or the relevant committee may decide, in particular, to replace the member association concerned with another association."
