Article by Romeo Ene – Published on Monday, 02 March 2026 22:14 / Updated on Tuesday, 03 March 2026 00:29
Reza Zabib, Iran's ambassador to Spain, gave an interview in which he talked about the current situation in his country and sent a strong message about the national football team: Iran will participate in the World Cup this summer.
Context: Over the past 72 hours, the Middle East has entered an open phase of armed conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel, after the US and Israeli military launched a series of airstrikes on Iranian territory, targeting military infrastructure and high-ranking leaders, in which Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader since 1989, was killed. Tehran retaliates by attacking various US bases in the region, as well as Israel and other civilian targets in the Gulf.
The country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Kahmenei, has died, and Iran has considered the possibility of not participating in the World Cup organized by the US, Mexico and Canada this summer.
Iran participates in the World Cup despite the war with the USA
“These are very difficult times. We will pay tribute to the 100 murdered and innocent girls who lost their lives,” the Iranian ambassador to Spain began his speech.
Zabib was questioned about the uncertainty related to the national team's participation in the World Championship, and the answer left no room for interpretation:
“Iran will go to the World Cup. We have a right to be there. We have no problem, we will go“, said Reza Zabib, according to as.com.
“With what happened today (Saturday, February 28) and with this attack by the United States, it is unlikely that we can look forward to the World Cup with hope, but the decision belongs to the leaders of the sport,” said Mehdi Taj, the president of the Iranian Football Federation, for a television station in Tehran.
Iran, who in March 2025 secured their fourth consecutive qualification to the finals of a World Cup, have group stage matches scheduled for June against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles and against Egypt in Seattle. The team's training base is provided at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona.
