Iran bans sports teams from attending games in 'hostile' countriesThe FIFA World Cup Trophy is displayed on a podium during the draw for the 2026 FIFA Football World Cup taking place in the US, Canada and Mexico, at the Kennedy Center, in Washington, DC, on December 5, 2025. TEHRAN, Iran — Iran on Thursday (Friday, Manila time) announced a ban on sending sports teams to events in countries considered "hostile", ahead of a scheduled game between an Iranian and an Emirati club in Saudi Arabia. It comes nearly a month after US-Israeli attacks on Iran sparked the Middle East war on February 28. The move comes months before the 2026 World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada in June. Iran have qualified for the tournament, and their matches against New ?Zealand, Belgium and Egypt were scheduled to be played in the United States.

Source: Philippine Star March 27, 2026 02:41 UTC