President Donald Trump has said he is not bothered if Iran participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is set to be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico amid the U.S.-Israeli military offensives against the Islamic republic.
Mr Trump disclosed this in an interview with Politico on Tuesday. Iran was the only country missing from the FIFA planning summit for World Cup participants held in Atlanta on Monday.
“I really don’t care. I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes,” the American leader said amid uncertainty regarding the conflict’s timeframe, which entered its fifth day on Wednesday.
Iran is drawn into Group C of the World Cup alongside Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand, with all their group-stage matches taking place in the United States.
Several Iranian football officials could not attend the World Cup draw ceremony in Washington last December after the Trump administration denied them U.S. visas.
Meanwhile, President Mehdi Taj, the president of the Iranian football federation, has not ruled out boycotting the tournament. He stated that Iran could not be hopeful in the current climate.
“What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Mr Taj told the Iranian sports outlet Varzesh3 after the strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran.
