Donald Trump warned that the Iranian national football team could face risks to their “life and safety” if they attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup, comments that come amid heightened tensions during the ongoing Israel-U.S.-Iran conflict.
Trump made the statement on March 12, in a post on Truth Social. “The Iran 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,” Trump wrote.
The remarks came as the United States, Canada, and Mexico prepare to co-host the 2026 tournament. Iran has already secured qualification and is scheduled to play three group-stage matches in the United States in June.
Those fixtures include games in Los Angeles against the New Zealand national football team and Belgium national football team, along with another match in Seattle against the Egypt national football team.
Earlier this month, Trump also addressed Iran’s potential participation during an interview with Politico. “I really don’t care,” the president said. “I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes.”
The Iranian national team appeared to respond in a statement shared on Instagram Stories, emphasizing that decisions regarding participation in the tournament fall under the authority of international soccer’s governing body rather than individual governments.
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Trump’s comments came as fighting continued in the Israel-U.S.-Iran war, which began after attacks on Iran on February 28. The conflict has killed more than 1,800 people, including eight U.S. service members, according to reports.
Donald Trump Received FIFA Peace Prize Three Months Before Latest Warning
Donald Trump’s warning to Iran came roughly three months after he received the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize. The award was presented in December 2025 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Trump accepted the prize alongside Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Mexico and Canada will also host matches during the 2026 World Cup.
Andrew Giuliani, the son of Rudy Giuliani and executive director of the White House Task Force on the 2026 World Cup, praised Trump’s role in preparing the United States to host the tournament. “The president is the consummate host.” “
Is there any other president that can handle inviting the world in and being a better host than Donald J. Trump?,” Giuliani continued.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino also commended Trump during the ceremony. “You definitely deserve the first FIFA Peace Prize for your action, for what you have obtained in your way, but you obtained it in an incredible way. And you can always count, Mr. President, on my support, on the support of the entire … soccer community to help you make peace and make the world prosper.”
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Days before the award ceremony, the U.S. State Department also announced that the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., had been renamed the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.
The change was announced in a statement shared by the department on social media. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with matches scheduled across multiple cities in North America.
