Trump dismisses Iran’s 2026 Fifa World Cup participation – SportsPro

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US president Donald Trump says he does not care if Iran participate in this summer’s World Cup.
The United States and Israel began attacking targets in the country on Saturday, with the conflict in the Middle East since spreading to the wider region.
Iran have qualified for the World Cup, which will take place in the US, Canada and Mexico in June and July, but their presence is now potentially in doubt. They are scheduled to play all three of their group games in the US, with their opener coming against New Zealand in Los Angeles on 15^th June.
US President Trump told Politico: “I really don’t care. I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes.”
Neighbours Iraq are scheduled to face the winners of Bolivia versus Suriname in the intercontinental World Cup play-offs in Monterrey on 31^st March with a place at the tournament at stake.
A national team statement said they were continuing discussions with Fifa regarding the match, outlining the issues they were facing.
“Fifa and the Asian Football Confederation are fully aware of every development regarding our team’s situation,” the Iraqi national team said.
“Because of airspace closures, our head coach, Graham Arnold, is unable to leave the United Arab Emirates. In addition, several embassies remain closed at the present time, preventing several professional players, technical and medical staff members from obtaining entry visas to Mexico.”
The conflict has already impacted other events in the region this week, with a tennis tournament held in the UAE now cancelled after players fled the court.
The Fujairah Open, a second-tier event on the ATP Challenger Tour, had continued to take place despite drone strikes from Iran on the country but play was halted after an oil terminal nearby was hit.
Posting on social media, Ukrainian Vladyslav Orlov said he had heard fighter jets overhead during his qualifying match and described the situation as “not very safe”.
The ATP subsequently decided to cancel the tournament and a second due to be held at the same venue next week.
An initial communication sent to affected players indicated they could secure places on a charter flight for €5,000 (US$5,806), but the governing body has now revealed it will pay for travel out of the country.
A statement seen by the Press Association said: “A charter flight has been arranged and fully funded by the ATP to assist with departures from the region at no cost to players.”
There was positive news for the higher-profile players who had all been stuck in Dubai since the conclusion of the Dubai Championships last weekend.
Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov secured their own passage out of the country via Oman, while British doubles player Henry Patten and his Finnish partner Harri Heliovaara have also now left.
Heliovaara detailed their travails on his blog, including an attempt to follow the Russian trio to Muscat only to be told they could not cross the border, before confirming they had managed to catch a flight from Dubai to Milan.
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner understands their Conference League last-16 match against AEK Larnace in Cyprus, where a British base was attacked, is still due to go ahead on 19^th March.
“Yes, that’s our information,” Glasner told a press conference. “Of course, we are aware and we are in contact with Uefa. So right now it looks like we will play there in two-and-a-half weeks, but nobody knows what the next weeks are bringing in the Middle East.”
On Tuesday, a Uefa spokesperson said it was “closely monitoring the situation”, adding: “All matches due to take place in Europe in the upcoming weeks are currently planned to be played as scheduled.”
The England women’s cricket team are exploring other options after their training camp in Abu Dhabi was cancelled.
Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt told PA: “There’s a lot of uncertainty at the moment and safety is paramount. Luckily, we are pretty flexible and adaptable as a team.
“The security team are always across all of the trips we have, and we were going to have a security briefing, but things changed quite rapidly over the last few days. As a senior player, I’m looking to instil a little calm and confidence in everybody that the right decisions will be made. So, we’re in a holding pattern for the moment.”
Meanwhile, a host of counties have abandoned pre-season tours to the region. Durham, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire have cancelled pre-season tours to the UAE next week, with the latter swiftly relocating to the Desert Springs resort in Spain. Glamorgan’s scheduled trip to Oman has also been removed from the calendar. Worcestershire, who were due to play the Welsh side and the Oman national team, are likely to follow suit.
Elsewhere, a decision on whether to move a showpiece match set to feature Lionel Messi’s Argentina and Spain away from Qatar will be taken next week amid conflict in the Middle East.
European soccer’s governing body Uefa, which is organising the Finalissima match on 27^th  March alongside South American confederation Conmebol, insists no alternative venues are currently being considered.
In addition, a flag football event organised by Fanatics and Tom Brady is likely to be relocated from Saudi Arabia to the US, according to Front Office Sports (FOS). The event was scheduled for Riyadh on 21^st March.
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