Trump dismisses Iran World Cup concerns amid ongoing military strikes: 'I really don't care'

The Iranian shot federation has a bleak outlook connected participating successful the 2026 FIFA World Cup, arsenic the U.S.-Israeli associated strikes against the state entered the 4th time connected Tuesday. 

The tournament, which is being hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada aboriginal this summer, has Iran scheduled to footwear disconnected its Group G docket successful June successful Los Angeles, California.

But President Donald Trump doesn’t attraction if Iran decides to propulsion retired of the tourney aboriginal this year.

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Mehdi Taremi of Iran celebrates aft scoring a extremity during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers Group A crippled betwixt Iran and Uzbekistan astatine Azadi Stadium connected March 25, 2025, successful Tehran, Iran. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu)

"I truly don’t care," Trump told Politico connected Tuesday erstwhile asked astir Iran’s information successful the World Cup. "I deliberation Iran is simply a precise severely defeated country. They’re moving connected fumes."

Iran was the archetypal squad to suffice for the World Cup, yet FIFA says that it volition proceed to show the situation. 

"What is definite is that aft this attack, we cannot beryllium expected to look guardant to the World Cup with hope," Iran’s shot federation president Mehdi Taj told sports portal Varzesh3 connected Sunday. "The US authorities has attacked our homeland, and this is an incidental that volition not spell unanswered."

President Donald Trump antecedently mentioned that athletes, unit members and household members would person an exemption from countries connected the banned database to participate the U.S. for the tournament. However, with attacks intensifying successful the Middle East, that could alteration starring up to the tournament. 

And there’s adjacent a accidental these 2 teams would look each different successful a World Cup elimination crippled if they some decorativeness 2nd successful their respective groups. And that crippled would beryllium played successful Dallas. 

Iran fans cheer up of the FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC Asian Qualifiers Group A 3rd circular lucifer betwixt Qatar and Iran astatine Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium successful Doha, Qatar, connected June 5, 2025. (Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto)

Since the U.S. and Israel onslaught connected Saturday, Iran has responded by firing missiles and drones astatine the second arsenic good arsenic astatine determination countries that big U.S. allies oregon subject bases, including Bahrain and Qatar. 

The strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, arsenic good arsenic different elder officials – Defense Council caput Ali Shamkhani, equipped forces main of unit Abdolrahim Mousavi, and commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohammad Pakpour.

While the men’s squad doesn’t cognize what their World Cup aboriginal holds, the Iranian women’s shot squad made a connection connected Monday during the opening lucifer of the Women’s Asian Cup, arsenic they refused to sing portion their nationalist anthem played implicit the speakers astatine Cbus Super Stadium connected the Gold Coast. 

The players were successful their customary enactment earlier their lucifer against South Korea erstwhile the Iranian nationalist anthem began to play. The women, looking consecutive up and hardly moving, were stoic arsenic it appeared determination were jeers from the crowd. Later, applause erupted from those successful attendance pursuing the 3-0 South Korea victory.

President Donald Trump looks connected arsenic helium meets with the White House Task Force connected the FIFA World Cup 2026 successful the Oval Office astatine the White House successful Washington, D.C., Nov. 17, 2025.  (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

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Iran’s manager, Marziyeh Jafari, was besides seen smiling arsenic she looked upon her players’ soundlessness from the sidelines. 

After Iran’s World Cup opener, they are scheduled to look Belgium successful Los Angeles connected June 21 and Egypt successful Seattle connected June 26. 

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