Kinshasa, March 11th, 2026 (CPA).- Iran has announced its withdrawal from the 2026 World Cup, scheduled to take place from June 19th to July 11th in the United States, Mexico and Canada, CPA has learned on Wednesday from the international media. ‘Iran will not go this summer to the 2026 World Cup organised in the United States, Mexico and Canada,’ it is read. And the sources have specified the reasons for this withdrawal.
‘The Iranian minister in charge of sport has announced on Wednesday that his country will not participate in the World Cup following the recent strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran and the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei,’ they have explained, adding: ‘The 2026 World Cup will take place without Iran. The Iranian Federation has officially announced its withdrawal from the competition scheduled for next June in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The minister in charge of Sports Ahmad Donyamali has confirmed that the national team will not travel to the United States soil in a particularly tense geopolitical context. »
In addition, it was reported, the Iranian government has also cited on-going diplomatic tensions, particularly related to difficulties in obtaining visas for Iranian officials and the maintenance of a ‘travel ban’ – that is to say, a ban on travel imposed by an authority – and this despite assurances from the President of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, affirming that Iran was ‘welcome’.