The situation has arisen as conflicts in the Middle East have escalated with the direct involvement of the United States, the host of the World Cup. Iran will play all three of its group stage matches in the United States.
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With just three months to go before the men's World Cup begins, Iran's participation in it is in doubt. This situation has arisen as the conflict in the Middle East has escalated with the direct involvement of the United States, one of the World Cup hosts. Iran will play all three of its group stage matches in the United States. Two of them will be in California and one in Seattle. These matches will be played between June 15 and 26. There will be a total of 104 matches in this year's World Cup.
Some of these matches will also be held in cities in Canada and Mexico. The United States and Israel are currently attacking Iran together. The attack killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several high-ranking officials on Saturday alone. In response, Iran is attacking Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the 2022 World Cup hosts, which are allies of the United States.
The 2034 World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia. Mehdi Taj, vice president of the Asian Football Confederation and president of the Iranian Football Association, has said, "At least our participation in the World Cup has become uncertain after this attack."
It is not clear whether the Iranian government-backed football federation will refuse to play in the 48-nation World Cup or whether the US itself will block Iran from participating.
The International Football Federation (FIFA) has not yet officially said anything on the matter. FIFA Secretary General Mattis Graftstrom said that he is closely monitoring the developments. Andrew Gilani, the White House's top official overseeing World Cup preparations, wrote on social media, "For now, let's focus on the opportunity for freedom, we will decide on the World Cup later."
Iran is a superpower in Asian football. Iran has qualified for six of the last eight World Cups. Out of 211 teams in the world, Iran is ranked 20th in FIFA's rankings. Iran has not been ranked lower than 20th since the last World Cup in Qatar. Iran was placed in the second-seeded group in the World Cup draw held in Washington last December.
Taj and other Iranian football representatives were not allowed to enter the US at the time. But the draw is in Iran's favor. Iran has a strong chance of doing so, as most third-placed teams at the end of the group stage league games advance to the knockout stage. Iran will first face lower-ranked New Zealand and then face weaker top-ranked Belgium. Iran's final match will be against Egypt.
A large turnout of Iranian-American fans is expected for the match Iran is participating in, but citizens of most Middle Eastern countries are currently banned from entering the US. President Donald Trump's administration has already said that the policy will not apply to players and coaches during the World Cup. Such political problems ahead of the World Cup are not new for Iran, and Iran has faced similar problems in recent World Cups.
