Iran’s football team shouldn’t be in World Cup ‘for their life, safety’, Trump warns
President Donald Trump has warned members of Iran’s national football team against coming to the United States for the 2026 FIFA World Cup amid the ongoing military standoff between Tehran and Washington.
Mr Trump said this in a Truth Social post on Thursday. He stated that although the Iranians are still welcome to attend the World Cup starting in June, it would be appropriate for the team to boycott the tournament for their lives and safety.
“The Iranian national soccer team is welcome to the World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” the American leader posted.
Mr Trump’s statement came a day after Iran’s sports minister, Ahmad Donyamali, disclosed during an interview on state television that the Middle Eastern country cannot participate in the World Cup under any circumstances.
Mr Donyamali said the team will not participate in the tournament, despite recent assurances by Mr Trump that the team would be welcome in the United States.
“Considering that this corrupt regime (the U.S.) has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup. Our children are not safe and, fundamentally, such conditions for participation do not exist,” Mr Donyamali said on Wednesday.
Citing the ongoing conflict within the United States and Israel and thousands of Iranians whom Mr Donyamali said have been killed, the minister reiterated that Iran couldn’t play at the tournament.
“Given the malicious actions they have carried out against Iran, they have forced two wars on us over eight or nine months and have killed and martyred thousands of our people. Therefore, we certainly cannot have such a presence,” he added.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
Economy
CIIN, insurance CEOs back renaming NAICOM
CIIN and insurance CEOs have endorsed the Senate’s passage of a bill to rename the National Insurance Commission as the Insurance Regulatory Commission.
States
Police advise Nigerian youths to be honest in life
The police command in Enugu has advised Nigerian youths to shun crimes, saying honesty is the surest path to lasting success.
Agriculture
Bandits kidnap farmers in Ondo
Two farmers had been kidnapped by bandits at the Oke-Ifira/Idogun forest axis of Akoko South-East council area of Ondo.
Politics
56 councillors file lawsuit against Anambra govt over two-year tenure
Fifty-six serving councillors filed a suit challenging the constitutional validity of the two-year tenure of local government officials.
Education
FG lauds Kano govt for dedicating 32% of budget to education
The Kano government allocated a historic N405 billion out of its N1.36 trillion proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year to the education sector.
Economy
NUPRC Bid: Nigeria warns 2025 licensing round winners against delaying exploration
The government urged the bidders to develop the assets rather than treat the licences as investment trophies or merely use them to seek technical or financial partners.
