What condition has Iran set for competing in the 2026 World Cup?: Sports Minister Donyamali has demanded FIFA relocate Iran's group-stage matches from the US to Mexico. FIFA has rejected this. As of 7 April, Iran had received no formal FIFA response.Source: FIGC / ESPN / media
Has Iran formally withdrawn from the 2026 World Cup?: No. The AFC confirmed no formal withdrawal has been lodged. Only the sports minister has issued a conditional statement — the FFIRI federation has not complied.Source: AFC / ESPN
When does FIFA have to decide on Iran's World Cup participation?: The 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver on 30 April 2026 is the institutional deadline. If Iran's status is unresolved by then, FIFA's replacement mechanism activates.Source: media / FIFA
Why is Iran refusing to play in the United States?: Iran's sports minister cited the US co-hosting of the tournament as incompatible with national security and sovereignty, following the US-Israeli strike that killed Supreme Leader Khamenei in March 2026.Source: background

Background

Ahmad Donyamali serves as Iran's Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs under President Masoud Pezeshkian, appointed as part of the Islamic Republic's post-2024 executive. His portfolio carries acute foreign-policy weight: on 11 March 2026, eight days after the US-Israeli strike killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, he declared Iran "cannot participate" in the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States. By 5 April his language shifted from outright refusal to conditional: participation would be "certain" if FIFA accepted Iran's request to relocate group-stage matches to Mexico, a request FIFA had already publicly rejected.

His public declaration placed him in direct institutional conflict with FFIRI president Mehdi Taj, who on 19 March drew a distinction between boycotting America and withdrawing from the tournament. The split exposes a structural fault in Iran's post-Khamenei authority: a government minister issuing a public withdrawal, while a sports federation with partial FIFA-protected autonomy refuses to comply.

By mid-April Donyamali had shifted further: the more normal the geopolitical situation becomes, the more likely Iran's participation becomes. That conditional is explicitly tied to the US-Iran ceasefire expiring 22 April 2026. If the Ceasefire collapses, his March "under no circumstances" position has an institutional platform to re-emerge. The 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver on 30 April is the hard deadline; Iran's status unresolved by then triggers FIFA's replacement mechanism.

Source Material

Iran and the 2026 World Cup — Reuters coverage National Olympic Committee of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ahmad Donyamali — Wikipedia

How the World Sees Them

AFC

Confirmed no formal withdrawal. Preparing for the possibility that Iran's slot is redistributed at or after the Vancouver Congress.

FIFA

Publicly rejected relocation in March; has not responded to Iran's reiterated condition; Vancouver Congress creates an automatic resolution deadline.

FFIRI (federation)

Mehdi Taj distinguishes boycotting America from withdrawing from football — the federation has not filed a formal withdrawal with AFC.

Iranian government

Donyamali frames the issue as security and sovereignty — competing on US soil is politically untenable given the post-Khamenei conflict.