Iranian FA President Questions World Cup Participation: "How Can You Be Optimistic About a World Cup in the United States?"

Mehdi Taj, President of the Iranian Football Federation, has raised further questions regarding his country's potential boycott of the 2026 World Cup. His remarks follow complaints that Iranian female national team players were pressured to defect during their participation in the Asian Cup in Australia.

Speaking on Iranian state television, Taj stated, "If the World Cup is like this, who in their right mind would send their national team to such a place? How can you be optimistic about a World Cup that will be held in the United States?"

Iran's national team is scheduled to play its World Cup matches on American soil, with two games in Los Angeles and one in Seattle. The team's participation in the tournament has been surrounded by doubt since the onset of attacks on Tehran.

Media sources reported that several Iranian national team players sought asylum in Australia after their participation in the Women's Asian Cup. They were labeled "traitors" in wartime by Iranian state television due to their silence during the playing of the national anthem before their opening match against South Korea.