On 3 March, in an interview with POLITICO, US President Trump said he "doesn't care at all" whether Iran can participate in the World Cup.
Iran is the first team to secure a spot in the 2026 World Cup finals, but Iran was the only country absent from the FIFA participating countries preparatory meeting held in Atlanta this week. Iran's absence has raised widespread questions: against the backdrop of escalating regional conflicts, will Tehran send a team to the World Cup held in the United States this summer? Even if Iran decides to participate, will the US government issue entry permits to relevant Iranian officials?
“I really don’t care,” if Iran participates, President Donald Trump told POLITICO in an exclusive interview on Tuesday morning. “I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes.”