Amid political tensions, the Iranian football team is making final preparations and trying to send a message of peace and cooperation through its participation in the World Cup.
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Iran and the United States are at war. In such a situation, there is still doubt about Iran's participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. On the other hand, Iran is currently practicing for the final stage for the World Cup.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino had already said that Iran will easily participate in the FIFA World Cup, which will start in three countries in North America on June 11. There are some such moments in Iran's World Cup history, where humanitarian considerations come before football competition. The match between Iran and the United States in the 1998 World Cup in France is still considered synonymous with soft politics. In this match, which is described as 'the game won by football', Iranian players gave the US team white flowers as a symbol of peace.
Iran's rare 2-1 victory against the United States on that day in the World Cup is still being discussed. 28 years later, a similar opportunity has returned. Iran had said it would not travel to the US to play in the FIFA World Cup after the assassination of its supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei. However, Iranian football, which is now showing flexibility and making final preparations for the World Cup, has sent a message that sports are above politics. On the other hand, the global economy is out of control as a result of Mojtaba Khamenei and Trump not giving up their stance.
The FIFA World Cup itself is considered a transformative competition for the economy and tourism. In such a situation, only Iran's participation has great meaning. Asian football giant Iran is currently playing its seventh World Cup. Tim Melli, or the Iranian national team in Persian, began its World Cup journey in Argentina in 1978.
Since its debut, it has played in the 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Three-time Asian Cup champions Iran have been limited to the group stage at the FIFA World Cup. Iran's qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup has been impressive.
Iran, which advanced by defeating Hong Kong and Turkmenistan in the second round, secured its place in the third round by drawing 2-2 with Uzbekistan on 25 March 2025. Led by coach Amir Ghalenoi, Iran lost only one of its 16 qualifying matches.
The best World Cup performance in Iran's history is considered to be the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Despite being in a difficult group like Spain, Portugal and Morocco, Iran defeated Morocco and held Portugal to a draw to move closer to the knockout stage.
Experienced striker Mehdi Taremi will be the main attraction in this team. He is the second highest scorer for Iran. With 57 goals, he is the only player to score more than one goal in a World Cup. Similarly, the presence of captain Ehsan Hajisafi and striker Sardar Azmoun in the team will strengthen Iran's attack.
This World Cup is expected to bring smiles to the faces of Iranian fans. A similar smile appeared in the last minute of injury time victory against Wales in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Where the 2-0 victory thrilled Iranian fans.
Iran is in Group 'G' this time with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand. Iran's first match will be against New Zealand on June 15, then Belgium on June 21 and Egypt on June 26. However, now Iran has shifted its closed training from Arizona, USA to Mexico due to visa difficulties, which has raised another doubt.
This incident helps us to look back at history once again, where we have many examples of football diplomacy. In 1914, during World War I, British and German troops stopped fighting in No Man's Land to play football. In 1968, the civil war in Nigeria was stopped for 2 days to watch Brazilian legend Pele play.
In 2007, Didier Drogba called for a civil war in Ivory Coast to stop in order to celebrate qualifying for the FIFA World Cup. With the World Cup being held in the United States and Iran participating, similar peacekeeping and cooperation are expected. In fact, last Friday, Trump announced a temporary ceasefire.
