Iran's Conditions for Participating in the 2026 World Cup and Threat of Withdrawal

Mehdi Taj, head of the Iranian Football Federation, revealed new conditions Tehran is setting for approving its team's participation in the 2026 World Cup, scheduled to kick off on June 11 in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Taj demanded that the United States provide official guarantees not to insult the Iranian military, including the Revolutionary Guard, during the tournament, warning that his country may withdraw if this demand is not met, according to Iranian media.

Required US Guarantees

Mehdi Taj, in statements published by the website "Iran International," stressed the need for the United States, as one of the host countries, to provide official pledges not to offend Iranian military institutions, including the Revolutionary Guard, during the competition period. He confirmed that the absence of these guarantees could push Iran to decide to withdraw from the World Cup.

The head of the Iranian Federation explained that his country will not accept a repeat of what he described as the "Canada incident," in which he and members of the Iranian delegation were detained in Toronto and subjected to interrogations by Canadian authorities. This was due to Canada's classification of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, which prevented them from completing their visit and caused them to miss the FIFA Congress meeting.

Additional Conditions and FIFA

Taj revealed that his country intends to propose a set of conditions during an upcoming meeting with FIFA officials. These conditions include preventing any politically motivated practices or statements against the team or the federation during matches, while emphasizing the need to use the official Iranian flag without restrictions. They also include providing full security guarantees for the delegation, including players and technical and administrative staff.

Iran is scheduled to begin its 2026 World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, before facing Belgium at the same stadium on June 21. It will conclude its Group Seven matches against Egypt in Seattle five days later.