World Cup 2026: Trump changes tune and tells defiant Iran to stay home and stay safe
March 13 – Having said Iran were welcome at this summer’s World Cup in the USA, President Donald Trump said has now sent a chilling advisory to the team not to participate for “their own life and safety.”
Posting on the social media site Truth Social, trump said: “The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Trump had met with his favourite sports friend and supporter FIFA president Gianni Infantino earlier in the week on the issue of Iran, prompting Infantino to say that he had been given assurances that the Iranians could attend.
Those assurances now feel somewhat hollow with Trump seemingly changing tack as his war on Iran starts to have a very different long-term look to the short and rapid regime change he was predicting in the early days of the US and Israel’s joint bombing of Iran.
The Iranian team were quick to respond to Trump’s surprise announcement, saying that no individual can exclude a country from the World Cup and that Trump’s administration were unable to guarantee security for any of the teams at the World Cup.
“The World Cup is a historic and international event and its governing body is FIFA – not any individual country. Iran’s national team, with strength and a series of decisive victories achieved by the brave sons of Iran, was among the first teams to qualify for this major tournament,” said the statement on Team Melli’s official Instagram site.
“Certainly no one can exclude Iran’s national team from the World Cup. The only country that could be excluded is one that merely carries the title of “host” yet lacks the ability to provide security for the teams participating in this global event.”
Two days ago it looked pretty certain that the Iranians were set to pull out. Sports minister Ahmad Donyamali had told state television in Iran that “conditions for participation do not exist”.
“Given that this corrupt government has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances do we have the appropriate conditions to participate in the World Cup,” said Donyamali.
“Our boys are not safe, and conditions for participation do not exist.”
The comments were echoed by Mehdi Taj, president of the Iran Football Federation, who said the conflict has fundamentally altered the thinking around participation at the World Cup.
“What is certain is that after these attacks, it’s hard to look at the World Cup with hope,” Taj said.
FIFA and Infantino are in a difficult position and are keeping quiet.
On the one hand Infantino has done everything possible to buddy up to Trump and his administration’s politics in what has been an obsequiously public love-in between the two presidents. On the other hand FIFA’s statutes are very clear that the World Cup must remain free from political interference.
Having first turned the World Cup into a tool for Trump’s MAGA agenda, Infantino has now enabled the biggest sports event on earth to be a political weapon for Trump’s war and Middle Eastern regime change agenda.
Regime change is something Infantino needs to be careful of with the goodwill within his own big money support base in the Middle East in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE rapidly eroding as a far from emaciated Iran hits the countries with mass drone assaults. Allah forbid that the Qataris take his private jet back off him as punishment for the geopolitical mayhem he has helped enable in their backyard.
Latest news stories:
– Iranian sports minister says US World Cup ‘not safe’ for their team
– Trump and Infantino say Iran are welcome at 2026 finals, but Iranian FA boss Taj isn’t feeling the love
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