Trump calls Iran “a very badly defeated country,” and he doesn’t care about their FIFA status

Trump says he doesn’t care about Iran

President Trump told Politico on Tuesday that he does not care whether Iran plays in the 2026 World Cup. He called Iran “a very badly defeated country” running on fumes.

His comments came just days after the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran starting Feb. 28. The tournament kicks off in just over three months, and the remarks only add to the uncertainty.

Trump had earlier granted athletes from banned countries, including Iran, exemptions from the U.S. travel ban for the World Cup.

48 teams make this the biggest ever

The 2026 World Cup is the largest in history, with 48 teams competing for the first time. That is up from 32 in past tournaments.

Teams are split into 12 groups of four, and the top two from each group plus the eight best third-place finishers move on to a new round of 32. In all, 104 matches will be played out across 16 cities in three countries.

Eleven host cities sit in the U.S., three in Mexico, and two in Canada. The final takes place July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Three nations share hosting duties

This is the first World Cup co-hosted by three countries.

Mexico becomes the first nation to host or co-host the men’s tournament three times, after 1970 and 1986. The opening match pits Mexico against South Africa at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on June 11.

Canada hosts men’s World Cup matches for the first time, with games in Toronto and Vancouver. The U.S. carries the bulk of the load, hosting all quarterfinals, both semifinals, and the final.

The U.S. team opens in Los Angeles

The U.S. men’s national team landed in Group D with Paraguay, Australia, and a team still to be decided through a UEFA playoff. They open June 12 against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

Game two comes June 19 against Australia at Lumen Field in Seattle, and the final group match brings them back to L.A. on June 25.

The Americans are chasing their first World Cup title, and they get to do it on home soil.

Iran earned its spot early

Iran topped its Asian qualifying group in 2025, locking up an automatic place at the World Cup. The team ranks 20th in the world and second in Asia, making this its seventh World Cup and fourth in a row.

Iran sits in Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand.

All three of Iran’s group matches fall on U.S. soil: two at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on June 15 and June 21, and one at Lumen Field in Seattle on June 26.

Joint strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader

On Feb. 28, the U.S. and Israel launched joint military strikes on Iran, hitting military and government targets. Israeli airstrikes killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at his compound in Tehran.

Dozens of senior military and government officials also died. Iran confirmed Khamenei’s death on March 1 and declared 40 days of national mourning.

Iran then hit back with missile and drone strikes on Israel and on countries hosting U.S. military bases, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Iran’s football chief signals doubt

Iran’s football federation president Mehdi Taj told Iranian media the team’s participation looks unlikely. He said his country cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope after the attacks.

Iran has not officially pulled out of the tournament. The final call rests with Iran’s sports leadership.

Meanwhile, Iran’s domestic football league has been suspended with no restart date. The situation leaves FIFA and the rest of Group G in limbo.

The travel ban already caused friction

Iranian citizens have been barred from entering the U.S. under Trump’s travel ban since June 2025. Athletes, coaches, staff, and their immediate families can still come in for major sporting events like the World Cup.

But ordinary Iranian fans cannot travel to watch their team play on U.S. soil. The tension showed up early.

In Dec. 2025, members of Iran’s delegation were denied visas for the World Cup draw in Washington, D.C. The dispute got resolved at the last minute, and Iran’s head coach made it to the draw at the Kennedy Center.

FIFA says it’s too early to comment

FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom said after the strikes that it is too early to comment in detail. He said FIFA remains focused on a safe World Cup with all teams taking part.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has not made a formal statement about Iran’s status. The governing body has not announced any changes to the tournament lineup.

For now, Iran stays on the schedule, but the clock is ticking with the opening match just over three months away.

A withdrawal would be unprecedented

No team has ever voluntarily dropped out of a World Cup finals tournament.

FIFA rules give the governing body wide authority to pick replacements, and the most likely options would come from Asia: the United Arab Emirates or Iraq.

Iraq already has an intercontinental playoff set for March 31 against either Bolivia or Suriname. FIFA could also shrink Group G to three teams, though that would mean fewer matches and could affect TV deals.

Iran would face fines of up to about 500,000 Swiss francs and would need to return more than $10.5 million in preparation and prize money.

The U.S. and Iran could meet again

If both the U.S. and Iran finish second in their groups, they could face off in the round of 32 on July 3 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The two teams last met at the 2022 World Cup, when the U.S. won 1-0 in Qatar.

Their most famous meeting came in 1998 in Lyon, France, when Iran won 2-1 in a match remembered for players exchanging flowers before kickoff.

A 2026 matchup between a host nation at war with its opponent would have no modern precedent in World Cup history.

Strikes ripple across global sports

The fallout stretches well beyond soccer. Qatar’s football federation suspended all domestic competitions after Iranian strikes hit Doha.

Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, halted flights after the attacks.

Formula 1 teams ran into travel disruptions ahead of the season opener in Melbourne, since many route through Doha and Dubai.

The conflict also puts a question mark over the Finalissima match between Spain and Argentina, scheduled for Qatar. Saudi Arabia, the future host of the 2034 World Cup, has also taken hits from Iranian strikes.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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