The head of the Iranian Football Federation allowed the country to refuse to participate in the 2026 World Cup

The Iranian national team may not take part in the 2026 FIFA World Cup against the background of attacks by the United States and Israel on the country's territory. This was announced on February 28 by the President of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj.

"After today's events and the attack by the United States, we can hardly count on the World Cup, but the decision on this issue should be made by the heads of sports organizations," the Marca portal reports his words.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled for the period from June 11 to July 19. 48 national teams were expected to participate in the tournament. The championship will be held for the first time in three countries at once — the USA, Mexico and Canada.

The Iranian national team is in Group G. It also includes teams from Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand.

The Iranian Kink: how can the conflict in the Middle East develop

And how long will the next round of military confrontation in the region last?

Israel attacked Iran on the morning of February 28. Also, US President Donald Trump announced the beginning of a US military operation against Iran. Military installations in western Iran, the residence of the country's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as an elementary school in the city of Minab were hit.

Later, Iran fired rockets towards Israel. Four US military bases in Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain were attacked, as well as the US Fifth Fleet service center.

At the same time, the IDF launched a massive airstrike on military installations in western Iran.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.