Iranian soccer team says 'no one can exclude' squad from 2026 World Cup amid participation doubts

"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," the statement posted to Instagram stories said. 

"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."

Iran is scheduled to play in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand June 15 and Belgium June 21 before finishing group play against Egypt in Seattle June 26. The U.S. is hosting the tournament with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

"We also spoke about the current situation in Iran, and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026. During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States," Infantino said in a post shared on Instagram. 

 "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."

Iran's sports minister claimed later that a squad could not be sent to the World Cup. 

Trump doubled down in a Truth Social post Thursday that Iran would be "welcome" to compete in the World Cup, but he added, "I really don't believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety." 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.