US President Donald Trump warned on Thursday that members of Iran national football team could face risks to their “life and safety” if they take part in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.
Trump’s remarks came just two days after he told Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, that Iranian players would still be welcome to participate despite the ongoing Middle East conflict.
“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 wrote on his platform Truth Social.
The conflict, sparked by US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, has cast doubt over the country’s participation in the tournament, which will be jointly hosted by United States, Canada and Mexico.
Infantino earlier said he discussed the “current situation in Iran” with Trump during a meeting at the White House.
“President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States,” Infantino wrote after the talks.
The FIFA chief had in December created a FIFA peace prize and awarded it to Trump. His recent remarks marked the first time he publicly addressed the ongoing Middle East war.
Asylum claims by women players
Meanwhile, Trump also commented on a separate case involving Iranian women footballers visiting Australia, urging that they be granted asylum.
According to Australian authorities, several members of the visiting Iranian women’s football squad sought sanctuary after being labelled “traitors” at home for staging a pre-match protest.
Tony Burke, Australia’s Home Affairs Minister, said seven members of the team had initially sought asylum. However, one player later withdrew the request after speaking with teammates.
“She had been advised by her teammates and encouraged to contact the Iranian embassy,” Burke told parliament.
“As a result of that it meant the Iranian embassy now knew the location of where everybody was.”
Officials said the remaining players had been relocated from a safe house to another undisclosed location.
The squad departed Sydney on Tuesday evening and arrived in Kuala Lumpur early Wednesday, according to AFP photographs taken at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Authorities had earlier separated each player from the group at Sydney Airport to allow them to privately consider the offer of asylum.
Australian officials said they ensured that any decision made by the athletes was entirely voluntary.