The Secretary General of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Windsor John, has stated that the organization has not yet received any notification from the Iranian Football Federation (IFF) regarding its intention to withdraw from the 2026 World Cup.
"This is a very tense moment. Everyone is expressing their opinion. Ultimately, the national team's participation in the tournament depends on the country's football federation. Currently, the federation's rhetoric is returning to the team playing in the World Cup. They are part of the AFC, we want them to play, they qualified for the tournament... We hope they can resolve all their issues and participate," Reuters quotes John as saying.
Iran has qualified for the 2026 World Cup and is in Group G with Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand. All three of the team's matches are scheduled to be played in the USA.
The 2026 World Cup will be held next summer in three countries - the USA, Canada, and Mexico. The current world champion is the Argentina team.