Iran is set to play in the US for FIFA World Cup. Will that still happen?

(KTLA) – Saturday’s major military attack on Iran by U.S. and Israeli forces is impacting everything from international diplomacy to the game of soccer.  

The move by President Trump to strike multiple targets in Iran comes just months before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. As the hosts, the teams from all three nations have automatically qualified to play.

Iran also qualified for the World Cup. One of the best teams in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the Iran National Team finished atop Group A in the AFC World Cup Qualifying competition, sending them through at the first time of asking. Israel did not qualify.

While tensions between the U.S. and Iran have been high for decades – many arguments center on nuclear weaponry, which was one of Trump’s justifications for Saturday’s military action – the countries have rarely faced each other on the soccer field. Since 1998, the U.S. and Iran have met only three times.

In those three matches, each team won one, tied one, and lost one. The most recent game came when the two met in Group B at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar – Christian Pulisic’s 38th-minute goal (one he got injured while scoring) was the difference in a tightly-contested 1-0 win for Team USA that knocked Iran out of the competition.

The two times the U.S. played Iran were at the 1998 World Cup in France (a 2-1 Iran victory) and during a 2000 friendly match at the Rose Bowl that finished in a 1-1 tie.

Fast forward four years after the 2022 World Cup, and Iran will meet the U.S. in a literal sense, as the team is scheduled to travel to America for this year’s edition of the biggest tournament in soccer.

Both Iran and the U.S. were matched up in different groups this year, so it’s likely they won’t play against each other unless they meet in the knockout stages. Iran being drawn to Group G means the team is assigned to play twice at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15 and against Belgium on June 21. The team’s third and final group stage match is against Egypt on June 26 in Seattle. They will not train in California, however, as team officials elected to set up base camp in Tucson, Arizona.

The U.S. will also play twice at SoFi in the group stages.

With Saturday’s surprise military action, though, many in the soccer world thought immediately of the World Cup that is inching closer and closer. How will a host country’s attack on a participating country affect the tournament?

FIFA is already keeping tabs on the situation, according to ESPN and The Athletic.

The outlets reported that FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom said at the International Football Association Board’s annual general meeting in Cardiff, Wales, that officials were aware of what is going on, adding that it was “premature to comment in detail” about what future plans are.

“We will monitor developments around all issues around the world,” Grafstrom said. “We had the finals draw in Washington in which all teams participated, and our focus is on a safe World Cup with all the teams participating. We will continue to communicate as we always do with three [host] governments as we always do in any case. Everybody will be safe.”

The White House, at the beginning of this year, expanded its travel ban to 39 countries, including Iran, which is one of 19 countries under the “full suspension” category, meaning the entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants has been halted. That said, the travel ban explicitly states that “athletes, coaches, support staff, and immediate relatives traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting events” are not included in the restrictions.

A special FIFA World Cup visa, the FIFA PASS, has also been introduced for international fans. Citizens of countries subject to Proclamation 10998 on Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals can still apply, but a FIFA PASS visa will not override current travel bans.

When reached for comment by The Athletic, Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said “everybody, FIFA, is trying” to ensure the team and its staff would be able to get visas.

“As they promised, they will do their best [so that] all the team, staff and the players [can] be present here for World Cup participation,” he told the outlet through a translator.

The president of Iran’s soccer federation was not as hopeful on Sunday.

“What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Mehdi Taj told sports portal Varzesh3, The Associated Press reported.

The Qatar soccer federation, meanwhile, postponed all tournaments and matches until further notice on Sunday amid global tensions following the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran.

The QFA did not specifically mention the strikes when it announced the postponements on X, adding only that “new dates for the resumption of competitions will be announced in due course.”

There are disruptions at Qatar’s Doha airport as the strikes on Iran affected flights across the Middle East and beyond. Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar closed their airspace on Saturday.

Iranian missiles could be seen being intercepted above Doha on Saturday night and into Sunday morning.

Earlier on Sunday, Asian soccer’s governing body postponed continental club championship playoffs scheduled in the Middle East this week, saying AFC Champions League Elite Round of 16 games will be rescheduled.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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