Trump says Iran soccer team shouldn't play in World Cup

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Mar 12, 2026

Published in Soccer

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President Trump said Thursday it wouldn’t be “appropriate” for Iran’s national soccer team to play in this summer’s World Cup on U.S. soil, even though he also said the squad would be “welcome” to compete in the world’s biggest sporting event.

“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,” Trump wrote.

He didn’t elaborate on what potential threats to the Iran team he might be referring to or why the U.S. could not protect the team.

Trump made the head-scratching post a day after FIFA president Gianni Infantino met with him at the White House and declared the Iranians are “welcome to participate” despite the ongoing war.

“We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever,” Infantino said.

Iran, which is an Asian soccer powerhouse, is scheduled to play three group-stage World Cup matches in June in the U.S.: two matches in Los Angeles and one in Seattle.

It’s not clear why Iran’s matches couldn’t be moved to Canada or Mexico, which are co-hosting the World Cup with the U.S.

Iran’s sports minister Wednesday also said the national team would not play in the World Cup due to the ongoing U.S. war, but it wasn’t clear if his decision is binding or final.

The 48-nation tournament kicks off in Mexico City on June 11 and wraps with the final on July 18 at the Meadowlands in New Jersey.

Trump has been enthusiastically hyping the World Cup, which he says will be the most lucrative in history, and has repeatedly appeared with Infantino, whom he named to his new Board of Peace.