Trump welcomes Iran to FIFA World Cup in America but fears for their safety

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Iran's national soccer team would be welcome to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but added that he believed it might not be appropriate for the team to attend due to safety concerns.

Iran has already qualified for the 48-team tournament, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026. The team is scheduled to play two group-stage matches in Los Angeles and one in Seattle.

"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 said in a post on Truth Social.

The Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) responded late on Thursday, saying the United States should not host the World Cup if it cannot guarantee the safety of participating teams. "The World Cup is a historic and international event and its custodian is FIFA, not any country," the federation said in a statement posted on social media.

"Some so-called celebrities want Iran's team excluded from the World Cup, but if any country should be excluded it is a host country that cannot ensure the safety of the teams taking part," it added. 

Trump later made it clear that any threat to players at the World Cup would not come from the United States. "It will be the Greatest and Safest Sporting Event in American History," he said in another Truth Social post. "All Players, Officials, and Fans will be treated like the "STARS" that they are!"

Iran's sports minister said on Wednesday that it was not possible for the Iranian players to participate in the tournament after the US launched airstrikes alongside Israel against Tehran, killing the Islamic Republic's supreme leader. An official withdrawal by Iran from soccer's global showpiece would be the first in the modern era and leave FIFA with the urgent task of finding a replacement.

Earlier this week, Australia granted humanitarian visas to five Iranian women soccer players who sought asylum during the Women's Asian Cup. They and their teammates had been branded "wartime traitors" on state TV for failing to sing the Iranian national anthem at a match against South Korea in the Australian city of Gold Coast on March 2.

Trump had urged Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to grant asylum to members of the team, saying the US would if Australia did not.