By Nate Wolf

Iran won't participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup given the ongoing war in the Middle East, the country's sports minister said Wednesday.

The U.S. and Israel attacked Iran less than two weeks ago, killing the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and sparking a regional war that has rattled markets.

"Considering that this corrupt regime [the US] has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup," the minister, Ahmad Donyamali, told state television. "Our children are not safe and, fundamentally, such conditions for participation do not exist."

Iran's men's national team had qualified to compete at the soccer tournament, which will take place this June and July in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. The team had two group-stage matches scheduled in Los Angeles -- which has a large Iranian-American population -- and one in Seattle.

The sports minister's announcement came a day after FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a social media post that President Donald Trump would welcome Iran at the tournament.

Barron's has reached out to FIFA and to the World Cup's Los Angeles organizers for comment.

The World Cup could be a boon for the North American economy and for certain pockets of U.S. markets. In a research note earlier this year, internet analysts at J.P. Morgan pinpointed Uber Technologies, advertising platforms like Meta Platforms and Alphabet, and ticketing service StubHub Holdings as potential winners.

Write to Nate Wolf at nate.wolf@barrons.com

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 11, 2026 11:29 ET (15:29 GMT)

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