World Cup 2026: Iran issue warning to FIFA with players 'told to walk off'

Iran's participation in the 2026 World Cup has continued to generate considerable controversy. The country was initially at risk of missing out on the tournament altogether, due to the conflict with the United States, one of the host nations of the competition. Now, Iran's leaders have issued a warning, indicating that the national team has been instructed to leave the pitch if any protests against the country take place.

"We have informed FIFA that members of the national team would leave the match as soon as they heard political slogans in the stadiums," said Iran's Minister of Sport, Ahmad Donyamali, in comments to local portal Varzesh3 on Wednesday.

Iranian leaders also stressed to FIFA that only the country's official flag should be considered legal, rather than the old Persian flag depicting a lion and a sun. They added that the team would also walk off the pitch in the event of any error in that representation.

Iran's World Cup campaign will begin on Tuesday, June 16, when they take on New Zealand. They will then face Belgium on June 21, before closing their group-stage campaign against Egypt on June 27.

The first two fixtures will be played in Los Angeles, a city with a large Iranian emigrant population in the United States. The final match, against the African side, will take place in Seattle. Iran are in Group G.

US stance on Iran has fuelled tensions for months

Iran's involvement at the tournament has been directly affected by the armed conflict that has also involved the United States since February. As a result, a number of issues have already exposed the complex position of the national team, even before a ball has been kicked.

In March, US president Donald Trump went so far as to say that the Iranian national side was welcome in the country, but that he did not believe it appropriate for them to be at the tournament, citing safety.

"The Iranian football team is welcome at the World Cup, but I really do not believe it is appropriate for them to be there, for their own life and safety. Thank you for your attention to this matter," Trump said on the social network Truth.

Visa refusals for members of the delegation

The biggest controversy in the days leading up to the World Cup involved the Iranian delegation's entry into the United States. While the players were granted travel authorisation, several officials, analysts and members of the coaching staff were denied visas, prompting a strong reaction from the Iranian Football Federation and the country's embassy. Iran has treated the case as political discrimination.

Switch of training base to Mexico

Initially, the squad had planned to prepare on American soil. However, given the difficulties surrounding the visas and the diplomatic tensions between Iran and the United States, the team moved its training base to Tijuana in Mexico, travelling only for the World Cup matches and returning afterwards.

Withdrawal of tickets allocated to Iranian supporters

A few days before the start of the tournament, the Iranian Federation announced that FIFA had suspended the ticket quota allocated to the country's supporters. The governing body cited issues linked to the financial sanctions imposed on Iran, while Iranian officials accused FIFA of unequal treatment.

The exclusion of Sardar Azmoun from the squad

The absence of forward Sardar Azmoun has caused huge repercussions. One of the all-time top scorers in the national team's history, he was left out of the squad after being targeted by criticism from media linked to the Iranian government for appearing in a photograph alongside the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, a country with strong ties to the United States. The decision has raised suspicions of political interference in the squad selection.