Iran Football Team Responds Strongly To Trump World Cup Warning

[Akinola Kholid]

The Iran national football team has strongly responded to comments made by Donald Trump about their participation in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup. The team said that no individual or country has the authority to prevent them from playing in the global tournament.

The World Cup will be hosted by three countries: the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Iran successfully qualified for the tournament after performing well in the qualification matches. However, tensions in the Middle East have created uncertainty about whether the team will participate.

The situation became more complicated after the United States and Israel reportedly launched joint strikes on Iran. The attacks allegedly killed the country's supreme leader and increased political tensions in the region. In response, Iran carried out retaliatory attacks against some states allied with the United States in the Gulf region.

Earlier, the head of Iran's football federation, Mehdi Taj, said it might be difficult for the country to look forward to participating in the tournament due to the ongoing crisis. After that statement, Trump posted on the social media platform Truth Social, advising the Iranian team to withdraw from the World Cup for what he called their "life and safety."

In response, the Iranian national team rejected Trump's suggestion. In a statement shared on Instagram, the team said the World Cup is governed by FIFA and not by any political leader or country.

The team also emphasized that they earned their place in the tournament through strong performances and determination. According to the statement, Iran qualified early after several important victories. They concluded by saying that no one can exclude Iran from the World Cup, adding that the only country that could face exclusion would be a host nation that cannot guarantee security for participating teams.