Will Iran boycott the World Cup — and what would it mean for the tournament?

Iran were drawn in Group G of the tournament in December and are scheduled to play three group-stage matches in the US when the tournament kicks off in June.

However, Mehdi Taj, president of Iran's football federation, has cast doubt on the team’s involvement following US and Israeli attacks on Iran.

According to multiple outlets, Taj told sports news portal Varzesh3: “What is certain is that after these attacks, it’s hard to look at the World Cup with hope.”

He added that the ultimate decision rests with sporting authorities.

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The 2026 World Cup, which is being hosted by United States, Canada and Mexico, will take place in June and July.

Iran are due to face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and 21, before playing Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

Mattias Grafstrom, secretary general of FIFA, said the body was "monitoring developments around the world that could affect the tournament" but declined to speculate, saying it was "too early to comment".

Why has this become an issue?

The comments come amidst a backdrop of rapidly escalating international tensions after the US carried out strikes against Iran over the weekend as part of a joint operation with Israel, prompting swift retaliation from Iran.

In the early hours of Saturday, Israel and the US launched coordinated attacks on Iranian targets.

Within hours, Iran responded with missile strikes on the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa, as well as on US airbases across the Middle East.

By the end of the first day, Iranian state media reported that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed.

The question of whether Iran will boycott the tournament will be further compounded by US domestic policy.

Last year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order restricting entry to the US for nationals from 12 countries, including Iran.

Although World Cup players and coaching staff are exempt from the ban, Iranian officials previously raised concerns over visa refusals ahead of December’s tournament draw in Washington.

The US itself has faced calls itself of World Cup exclusion following its seizure of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and discussion around the invasion of Greenland.

In January, a group of cross-party MPs also called on Fifa to consider expelling the US from the tournament until the country demonstrates "clear compliance with international law and respect for the sovereignty of other nations".

Around the same time, a senior figure within the German Football Association suggested a boycott of the 2026 tournament should be considered.

Is there a historical precedent?

There has never been a World Cup boycott directly linked to a host nation’s military action against a qualified team.

The last significant boycott came in the 1966 World Cup, when African nations protested the lack of a guaranteed, direct qualification spot for any of its countries.

What happens if Iran boycotts?

Under FIFA's World Cup regulations, if a participating member withdraws or is excluded, the global governing body could select a replacement from the same region — in this case, Asia.

Iran qualified automatically for this year's tournament from Asia, while the UAE narrowly missed out on automatic qualification and were later eliminated in the play-offs, potentially making them the most obvious replacement.

Iraq could also emerge as a candidate, depending on the outcome of their play-off against either Bolivia or Suriname at the end of this month.

However, regional instability could complicate any straightforward replacement.

FIFA’s rules also allow it to “cancel, reschedule or relocate” matches — or even the entire tournament — for reasons including force majeure or security concerns.

As a result, Iran’s fixtures could be moved outside the US.

Should both the US and Iran progress as runners-up from their respective groups — the US in Group D and Iran in Group G — they would meet in the knockout stage in Texas.