The widening conflict between the United States (US), Israel and Iran has cast a shadow over this summer’s men’s World Cup.
RoundReports understands that uncertainty is growing over whether Iran will take part in the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
A wave of US and Israeli strikes on Iran over the past 48 hours has sharply escalated regional tensions, following comments by Donald Trump that the bombing campaign could last several weeks.
Iranian state media has reported the death of the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Tehran has since launched retaliatory attacks.
While the football implications may appear secondary, the crisis has prompted fresh questions about Iran’s World Cup participation and whether Washington could restrict the team’s entry, despite previous assurances that all qualified nations would be welcomed.
FIFA’s general secretary, Mattias Grafström, said at the weekend that the governing body’s priority was “to have a safe World Cup with everybody participating.”
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Iran’s football federation president, Mehdi Taj, struck a more sombre note, telling state media that following the attacks “we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” adding that sports authorities would decide on participation.
The tournament is due to begin on 11 June with Iran drawn in Group G and is scheduled to play all three matches in the United States, including two fixtures at SoFi Stadium and a third at Lumen Field.
Several scenarios are now under discussion. Iran could withdraw in protest, security concerns could be cited by either side, or the US government could impose restrictions.
Although the Trump administration has repeatedly stated that teams and fans are welcome, Iranian nationals are currently subject to travel bans, with limited exemptions for athletes and officials attending major sporting events.
FIFA regulations grant the organisation broad discretion if a qualified team withdraws or is excluded.
The rules allow FIFA either to adjust the group structure or to replace the absent team, though finding a suitable replacement at short notice would pose logistical and sporting challenges.
Iran qualified comfortably from Asia’s third qualifying round, leaving no obvious substitute and any decision would likely come late, compressing preparations that normally take months.
There is little modern precedent for such a situation as the last withdrawals after qualification occurred in 1950, while a more recent parallel came last year when FIFA hastily replaced a disqualified club ahead of the Club World Cup.
For now, FIFA has given no indication that venues would be moved or matches relocated, and there are no formal security issues linked to the conflict on US soil.
International reaction to the strikes has also been mixed, reducing the likelihood of a coordinated boycott by other nations.