Iran's possible withdrawal of 'World Cup shock boycott', calls for FIFA to play Mexico, not the U.S

*This content was translated by AI.

In the aftermath of the U.S.-Israel airstrike, there is a possibility that the Iranian national soccer team, which declared its absence from the 2026 FIFA 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup, will withdraw its boycott.

According to local reports such as Iran's state-run news agency IRNA on the 15th (Korea time), Ahmad Donyamali, Iran's Minister of Sports and Youth, plans to consider changing the stadium so that FIFA can play group games in Mexico rather than the United States.

Minister Donyamali said on IRNA, "We hope that conditions will be established for our players to participate in the World Cup. It is necessary to carefully consider all sports aspects to maintain the possibility of participating in the World Cup."

Iran, which advanced to the finals as No. 1 in Group A in the third Asian qualifying round for the World Cup, belonged to Group G along with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand through a draw in December last year. The tournament is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, and coincidentally, all three of Iran's group matches will be held in the United States, including Inglewood and Seattle. Even if Iran and the U.S. rank second in the group side by side, a face-off could take place in Arlington, U.S.

As the war continued, including the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei during the U.S. airstrike, Donyamali declared a boycott of the World Cup on the 12th, saying, "As the corrupt regime (US) assassinated our leader, it is impossible to participate in the World Cup under any circumstances." It was the first time that an Iranian government official declared a boycott amid various speculations over whether Iran would participate in the World Cup after the U.S.-Israel airstrikes.

In particular, the Iranian government weighed in on Iran's absence from the World Cup due to safety concerns in the United States, as all three World Cup group matches will be held in the United States. FIFA also had to find an alternative team if Iran's absence was finally confirmed, and FIFA was inevitable with three months before the opening of the World Cup.

However, Iran's participation in the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup has entered a new phase as it has proposed as an alternative to playing three group games in Mexico rather than the United States. However, it is unclear whether FIFA will be able to accept Iran's request because if Iran's three group games are changed, the cooperation of other teams in the same group, which has already been selected for the base camp, and there are many tasks to be solved, such as broadcasting and tickets.

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*This content was translated by AI.