The Iranian football team was the first national team to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup scheduled for this summer. They may also become the first team to be eliminated, via withdrawal, depending on whether they decide to play in the tournament...which was left in doubt after a war of words last week.
Iran’s Minister of Sports and Youth Ahmad Donyamali appeared to rule out any chance of the Iranian national team competing in the World Cup. "Since this corrupt government assassinated our leader, we have no conditions under which we can participate in the World Cup," he said in an interview on the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting on March 11.
"In view of the malicious measures taken against Iran, two wars were forced upon us within eight or nine months, and several thousand of our people were killed. Therefore, we definitely have no possibility of participating in this way," he concluded, referring to the current Israel-US war on Iran and last year’s 12 Day War.
Hours later, whether as a coincidence or as a response to Donyamali, FIFA God-Emperor Gianni Harkonnen Infantinotried to clear the air on the matter, and publicly stated that he had President Donald Trump’s assurances “that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.”
“We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever, and I sincerely thank the President of the United States for his support, as it shows once again that Football Unites the World,” he added without a hint of irony.