What will happen if Iran does not take part in the World Cup?

The military conflict in the Middle East is also casting a shadow over the football World Cup.

The United States, one of the hosts, is at war with Iran, one of the participating countries, “Kicker” writes on Tuesday. What impact will the conflict have on the most important sporting event?

What does the Organising Committee say?

A World Cup task force, established by US President Donald Trump a year ago, is headed by Andrew Giuliani. After the attack on Iran began, he wrote briefly on X: “Tomorrow we’ll take care of the football matches. Today we celebrate the chance for freedom”.

FIFA’s position

General Secretary Mattias Grafstrom commented ahead of the IFAB meeting in Wales last weekend.

“It is still a little early to give a detailed comment, but of course we are monitoring developments around all events in the world,” he said.

The main priority remains ensuring the safety of the World Cup, in which all qualified national teams are taking part. FIFA has made no further comment.

How did Iran’s Football Federation react?

Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian Football Federation, spoke to Iranian media.

“It is clear that after this attack, we cannot look towards the World Cup with optimism.”

So far, there have been no discussions about withdrawing from the World Cup or boycotting the event.

Reactions from Iran’s players

So far, there have been no official reactions. Players do not speak out much because they could face severe penalties for criticising the regime. Former Iran player Ali Karimi welcomed the killing of Ali Khamenei, describing it as a step towards freedom for the Iranian people. The former long-time Bundesliga player had supported the Iranian opposition and had lived outside Iran for many years.

Implications for Iranian fans

At present, there are none. The United States generally does not issue visas to Iranians. This was the case even before the war began. This has even affected Iranian federation officials, including president Mehdi Taj. Federation officials were unable to travel to the United States for the draw ceremony in December.

Has the attack affected Iran’s preparations for the World Cup?

Following Khamenei’s death, a 40-day period of mourning was declared, which includes the cancellation of sporting events.

As a result, Iran will not play any friendlies in March. Iran had planned to take part in a tournament in Jordan, where it was due to play Nigeria and Costa Rica.

What happens if Iran does not take part?

The last time a qualified team did not take part in the World Cup was in 1950. This would be unprecedented in modern football.

FIFA’s rules on this are very strict. The vacant place is expected to be filled by the best Asian team that did not qualify. Iraq and the United Arab Emirates are candidates for this.

Iraq is still taking part in the intercontinental playoffs. If it is eliminated, it could replace Iran if Iran eventually withdraws. 

If Iraq qualifies directly, the United Arab Emirates, which lost to Iraq in the Asian playoff, could benefit.

If Iran voluntarily withdraws one month before the World Cup begins, the federation will have to pay a fine of 275,000 euros.

The penalty doubles if notice is given later. Withdrawal would also affect participation in the 2030 World Cup.