Earlier this month, Trump said he didn't care if Iran participated in the 2026 World Cup
Credit: Hector Vivas – FIFA/FIFA via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Three months after receiving the FIFA Peace Prize, President Donald Trump warned the Iranian National Soccer Team that if they were to attend the 2026 World Cup, their lives could be in danger
- When asked earlier this month about Iran’s participation in the 2026 World Cup, Trump said, “I really don’t care. I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes”
- Trump’s warning, posted to his Truth Social account, comes after the new death toll of 1,800 people amid the Israel-U.S.-Iran war
Three months after receiving the first-ever FIFA World Peace Prize, President Donald Trump has warned that the “safety” of the Iran National Soccer Team is at risk.
“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, 79, wrote in a Thursday, March 12 post on Truth Social.
The team appeared to respond to Trump in an Instagram Stories post.
"The World Cup is a historic and international event and its governing body is FIFA – not any individual, country," the team's statement reads. "Iran's national team, with strength and a series of decisive victories achieved by the brave sons of Iran, was among the first teams to qualify for this major tournament."
"Certainly, no one can exclude Iran's national team from the World Cup; the only country that could be excluded is one that merely carries the title of 'host' yet lacks the ability to provide security for the teams participating in this global event," the statement continued.
In December 2025, Trump received the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., where it was awarded to him as he stood alongside Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Mexico and Canada are also hosting games in the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament.
Andrew Giuliani, the son of Rudy Giuliani and executive director of Trump's White House Task Force on the 2026 World Cup, said in a statement, "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.
“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,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said. “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."
Days before being awarded the prize, the State Department renamed the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., to the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.
"This morning, the State Department renamed the former Institute of Peace to reflect the greatest dealmaker in our nation's history," a post shared by the State Department on X read. "Welcome to the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. The best is yet to come."
Trump’s remarks regarding the safety of the Iran National Soccer Team comes amid the ongoing Israel-Iran-U.S. war, which began after the attack on Iran on Feb. 28. More than 1,800 people have been killed so far, including eight U.S. service members. At least 175 students were killed following a U.S.-led attack on an Iranian elementary school, per the Council on Foreign Relations.
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In an interview with Politico on March 3, Trump said he didn’t care whether Iran participated in the 2026 World Cup tournament.
“I really don’t care,” the president said. “I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes.”
Iran is scheduled to play three group-stage matches in the U.S. in June — two in Los Angeles against New Zealand and Belgium, and one in Seattle against Egypt.
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