The Iran Football Federation has threatened to withdraw from the upcoming Fifa World Cup 2026. Mehdi Taj, president of the Iran Football Federation, said it is difficult to think about the World Cup at this point in time. The ban, enacted in June 2025, carves out exemptions for “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, travelling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event.” But last year, multiple Iranian delegates had visas denied ahead of December’s World Cup draw. It said the AFC Champions League Elite Round-of-16 games scheduled for Monday and Tuesday in the West Region will be rescheduled. The AFC Champions League 2 and AFC Challenge League quarter-finals scheduled for midweek in the West zone will also be postponed.

Source: The Telegraph March 02, 2026 05:54 UTC