President Donald Trump suggested on Thursday that Iran’s national soccer team should withdraw from the upcoming Fifa World Cup as a personal safety measure.
Trump wrote on Truth Social, the social media platform he owns, that Iran is welcome to play this summer in the United States, “but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Each of Iran’s three group stage matches is scheduled to take place on American soil.
The Iranians open Group G in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15, followed by games against Belgium on June 21 and Egypt on June 26, in Seattle.
The US and Israel initiated the ongoing war with Iran on February 28 with a series of airstrikes that killed the longtime Iranian supreme leader, Ali Khameini, and other officials.
The World Cup is a historic and international event and its governing body is FIFA - not any individual, country.
— Iranian national team’s official Instagram account
Iran’s national sports minister, Ahmad Donyamali, reportedly told state television this week that the country could not participate in the World Cup following Khamenei’s death.
But the Iranian national team’s official Instagram account posted a statement on Thursday, pushing back on Trump’s idea, while also appearing to take a shot at the World Cup security arrangements in the US.
“The World Cup is a historic and international event and its governing body is FIFA — not any individual country,” the statement read.
”Iran’s national team, with strength and a series of decisive victories achieved by the brave sons of Iran, was among the first teams to qualify for this major tournament.
“Certainly, no one can exclude Iran’s national team from the World Cup. The only country that could be excluded is one that merely carries the title of ‘host’ yet lacks the ability to provide security for the teams participating in this global event.”
The White House did not immediately explain the reference to “safety” in Trump’s post, which seemed to conflict with what he said in a recent meeting with Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
“President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States,” Infantino wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
“We all need an event like the Fifa World Cup to bring people together now more than ever, and I sincerely thank the President of the United States for his support, as it shows once again that Football Unites the World.”
The 48-team World Cup, the largest in tournament history, runs from June 11 to July 19 in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Iran planned to train in Tucson, Arizona, before the group stage.
Ranked No 20 in the world, the Iranians qualified for the World Cup for the fourth consecutive time last March as one of the top sides in the Asian Football Confederation.
They were eliminated from the group stage in 2022 with a 1-0 loss to the US in Doha, Qatar.
Iranian athletes and coaches are exempt from the travel ban Trump imposed against their country last June.
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