Iran’s soccer chief hints at skipping 2026 World Cup after Khamenei killed in U.S.–Israeli strike

TEHRAN, Iran — As air raid sirens sounded over Tehran and state television confirmed the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint U.S.–Israeli strike, the man in charge of Iranian soccer was focused on another American arena: the 2026 World Cup.

“Under these circumstances, we cannot look to this tournament with hope,” Mehdi Taj, president of the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran, said in remarks aired Saturday on Iranian television. He suggested Iran may not send its team to the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, despite having already qualified.

Taj did not formally announce a boycott or withdrawal. But his comments, made less than 24 hours after authorities in Tehran confirmed Khamenei’s killing, amounted to the clearest signal yet that Iran’s participation in world soccer’s showcase event is in serious doubt.

Iran has qualified for the expanded 48‑team tournament and is scheduled to face Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand in Group G, with matches set for Los Angeles, Seattle and Vancouver in June. World soccer’s governing body, FIFA, said it is monitoring the situation but has not received any official notice that Iran is withdrawing.

War, strikes and a World Cup in the host country’s shadow

Taj anchored his remarks in the rapidly escalating conflict.

On Feb. 28, Israel, with U.S. coordination, launched a wide‑ranging air and missile campaign against Iranian leadership and military targets, an operation Israeli officials have referred to as “Lion’s Roar.” Among the targets was a secure compound in Tehran where Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader since 1989, was believed to be sheltering. Iranian state media confirmed his death on March 1.

Strikes also hit Revolutionary Guard facilities and air defense sites in at least a dozen provinces. Rights groups reported more than 100 civilian deaths and hundreds of injuries in the first two days of attacks. Iran responded with missile and drone launches against U.S. bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, some of which landed in or near populated areas.

Taj cited those events directly.

“How can we speak of going to a competition in a country that at the same time is bombing our cities and killing our leaders?” he said, according to a translated summary carried by Iranian outlets. “In such a situation, participation cannot be considered a normal sporting matter.”

The federation president also referenced long‑running U.S. travel restrictions on Iranian citizens and past difficulties in obtaining visas for officials and players.

A fraught World Cup even before the shooting started

Tensions around Iran’s presence at the 2026 World Cup predate the current war.

In 2025, the U.S. administration reimposed and expanded a travel ban on citizens of several countries, including Iran, citing security concerns. The rules allow for case‑by‑case waivers for athletes and essential staff attending major international events, but they do not provide blanket access for ordinary fans.

The policy has effectively shut out many Iranian supporters from traveling to the United States, even as their team prepares to play group matches on American soil.

“If my team plays in Los Angeles and I cannot go because of my passport, what kind of World Cup is this?” one fan in Tehran said last summer in comments to local media.

Frictions deepened in November, when the United States denied visas to several members of Iran’s delegation, including Taj, for the tournament’s draw in Washington, D.C. In response, the Iranian federation announced it would boycott the ceremony.

“The path of this event has deviated from a purely sporting process,” federation spokesman Amir Mehdi Alavi said at the time, calling the U.S. decision “unsportsmanlike” and “political.” Iranian officials stressed then that the boycott applied only to the draw, not the tournament itself.

Another flashpoint has been a planned “Pride Match” designation for Iran’s group‑stage meeting with Egypt in Seattle or Vancouver. Local organizers tied that game to LGBTQ‑focused events, a move critics said was meant to highlight the criminalization of homosexuality in both countries.

Federations from Iran and Egypt filed formal complaints, describing the branding as an “irrational move that supports a certain group” and arguing it politicized their match. Organizers said Pride‑related programming around the game would go ahead.

Taj’s dual role: sports official and political actor

Taj, 64, is not a neutral technocrat. A former head of the Iran Football League Organization, he first took over the national federation in 2016 and returned to office in 2022 after a hiatus. He also serves as a vice president of the Asian Football Confederation.

Iranian and international media have reported that Taj previously served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a powerful branch of Iran’s security apparatus. His re‑election in the tightly controlled federation has been backed by political figures loyal to the Islamic Republic.

In recent years, Taj has publicly urged FIFA to suspend or expel Israel, accusing it of targeting athletes and breaking “every possible law.” He has also questioned whether U.S. authorities would allow Iran’s players and staff to enter the country for 2026, citing what he described as a “hostile approach” in Washington.

Those positions mean his latest warning is likely to be read outside Iran as both a genuine expression of concern and a piece of wartime messaging aligned with hard‑line factions at home.

Inside Iran, his stance faces competing pressures. The national team, known as Team Melli, is one of the few institutions that reliably draws support across segments of society, from conservative loyalists to critics of the government. Past World Cup appearances have produced mass street celebrations even during periods of domestic unrest.

At the same time, Iran has a decades‑long record of using sport as another arena for its conflicts, including a policy of refusing to compete against Israeli athletes in numerous disciplines, regardless of the personal cost to individual competitors.

FIFA’s rules, and what happens if Iran stays home

For now, FIFA has left Iran in the tournament.

In a brief statement Sunday, the organization said it “regrets the deteriorating security situation” and is “following developments closely in contact with the relevant associations and authorities.” It did not mention Iran by name and offered no timeline for possible decisions.

Under World Cup regulations, if a qualified team withdraws or is expelled before the tournament, FIFA can invite another team to take its place or alter the competition format. The rules grant the governing body wide discretion and do not spell out a fixed order of succession.

Soccer analysts say that if Iran formally pulls out, the most straightforward option would be to promote another Asian Football Confederation side based on the 2026 qualifying results. Iraq, which clinched an intercontinental playoff slot after defeating the United Arab Emirates, is frequently cited as a likely candidate. Others argue that the UAE, as a playoff runner‑up, could also be considered.

There is precedent for late changes. In 1992, Yugoslavia was expelled from the European Championship because of United Nations sanctions over the Balkan wars. Denmark, the runner‑up in its qualifying group, was called up and went on to win the tournament.

Replacing Iran would carry commercial and logistical implications. Broadcasters in the Middle East and among Iran’s large diaspora have invested in coverage featuring Team Melli. Betting companies have opened markets on Group G with Iran as a participant. Sponsors and local organizers have marketed games, including the Pride‑branded match, around storylines that include the Iranian team.

Security, visas and the limits of “no politics in football”

Even if Iran does not formally withdraw, practical hurdles remain.

The United States could, in theory, deny entry to certain Iranian officials or players on national security grounds, despite sports‑related visa waivers. Tehran is under extensive U.S. sanctions, and several individuals connected to the Revolutionary Guard face additional restrictions. U.S. law does not obligate the government to admit foreign nationals for sporting events.

Security officials will also have to plan for potential threats around matches featuring Iran, whether from extremist groups, lone‑actor attackers, or clashes between rival demonstrators. While such planning is routine for large events, it takes on added complexity when the visiting team comes from a country with which the host is in active armed conflict.

The war’s spillover into sport is already visible. A one‑day international cricket match between England and Pakistan scheduled for Abu Dhabi was canceled this week amid concerns over regional instability. The Asian Football Confederation has postponed several club fixtures and said it is reviewing plans for upcoming competitions.

The situation underscores the gap between FIFA’s long‑standing insistence that politics should stay out of football and the realities facing a tournament hosted by a country that is simultaneously leading a campaign of airstrikes against one of its qualified participants.

A decision still to come

In Tehran, ultimate authority over whether Iran plays in the World Cup will not rest with Taj alone. Khamenei’s death has triggered the formation of a temporary leadership council while Iran’s opaque succession process plays out. President Masoud Pezeshkian and senior security officials are expected to have a say in any major international gesture, including a possible World Cup withdrawal.

Some within the establishment are likely to argue that appearing on a U.S.‑hosted stage during a war would project weakness or normalization. Others may see value in sending the team as a sign of resilience, or as a way to preserve one of the few remaining avenues for ordinary Iranians to engage with the outside world.

For players, the stakes are personal. For many on the current squad, including Europe‑based veterans such as Mehdi Taremi and Sardar Azmoun, 2026 may be the last realistic chance to appear at a World Cup. Iran has qualified for seven editions of the tournament but has never reached the knockout stage, coming close in 2018 and 2022.

For fans, both in Iran and in diaspora communities in North America, the uncertainty is layered atop existing obstacles like the U.S. travel ban.

Four months before kickoff, Iran’s place in the World Cup remains officially intact but politically fragile. Whether Team Melli lines up to face New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, or stays home in a country under bombardment, will depend not on tactics or form, but on decisions taken in war rooms and cabinet meetings far from any soccer field.