Iran to ‘boycott’ World Cup in US but will not withdraw from 2026 event
Frustrated Trump struggles against perception that he’s losing control">Iran's football federation president announced the country will 'boycott the United States, but not the World Cup' ahead of the 2026 tournament. Iran is scheduled to play their group stage matches in the US during the tournament co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico. The statement suggests Iran may seek to move their matches to alternative venues while remaining in the competition.
The country will boycott the United States but remain committed to participating in the World Cup tournament. Iran can prepare for and compete in the 2026 World Cup while avoiding playing matches on US soil, potentially using Mexico as an alternative venue for their group games.
The statement is confusing since Iran is scheduled to play their group matches specifically in US venues. A true boycott of the US would seemingly require either withdrawing from the tournament entirely or successfully negotiating venue changes, which may not be feasible given FIFA's tournament structure.
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Iran soccer chief: We'll boycott U.S., not WCup
ESPN
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Iran will “boycott the United States” but “not the World Cup”, the Iranian football federation president, Mehdi Taj, said in a video released by the Iranian press agency Fars.
r/soccer
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Iran to ‘boycott’ World Cup in US but will not withdraw from 2026 event
Al Jazeera