Trump discourages Iranian soccer team from attending World Cup due to safety concerns

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said he did not think it would be “appropriate” for Iran’s soccer team to attend this year’s World Cup, which is co-hosted by the United States, and cited safety concerns as the reason Thursday while the countries remain embroiled in a war.

Read more: The Iranian Sports Minister says that his country will not be able to participate in the World Cup because of the American attacks

“The Iranian national soccer team is welcome to the World Cup, but I really don’t think it is appropriate for them to be there, for their lives and safety,” Trump wrote on his social media site.

Iranian leaders said earlier this week that it was “not possible” for their country to participate in the World Cup.

Trump’s message appeared to differ somewhat from what the Republican president conveyed Tuesday at the White House to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who later said publicly that Trump had assured him that Iranian players and coaches would be welcome.

A White House official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the private conversations, confirmed Trump’s message to Infantino about Iran’s participation.

Read more: Australia grants asylum to two more members of the Iranian women’s soccer team

The White House did not immediately clarify Thursday what Trump meant by “their lives and safety,” such as whether he expected threats against them while they were in the United States following the US and Israeli strikes on Iran that began on February 28.

Iran, one of 48 teams participating in the tournament, is scheduled to play in Inglewood, California against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 before ending its group matches in Seattle against Egypt on June 26. The United States will host the tournament with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

The Iranian Football Federation plans to move the team in June to a base camp for the tournament in Arizona, at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson.

Since June, Iran has been subject to a travel ban to the United States as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration. But athletes and coaches from the targeted countries are exempt, meaning the Iranian team will be allowed to enter the United States

Read more: With Iran’s place in the World Cup in the United States in doubt due to the war, FIFA places Iraq next in line

But there are also likely to be concerns among Iranian footballers about playing in a tournament abroad where they could be feted by anti-regime expatriates while their families face threats at home.

The Iranian women’s soccer team, which arrived in Australia to play in the Asian Cup before the US and Israeli air attacks on Iran began, did not sing the Iranian national anthem before its first match. This has been widely interpreted as a gesture of protest or mourning. Many members of the team remained in Australia on humanitarian visas after that.

In the 2022 Men’s World Cup, which was held in Qatar, the Iranian national team did not sing the national anthem before a match against England and did not celebrate the two goals they scored in the 6-2 loss. At the time, Iran was in turmoil several weeks after the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, 22, who was being held on charges of violating a strict Islamic dress code.

FIFA’s own assessment was “low risk” of the World Cup safety and security plans proposed by soccer organizations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and guaranteed by their governments. Trump is often credited with “winning” the rights to host the World Cup in 2018, when the three neighbors easily beat Morocco in a vote held by FIFA’s member associations.

“All parties have experience of hosting major sporting events on a regular basis, and there are arrangements in place to manage security and safety at stadiums and for high-profile individuals,” FIFA’s internal inspection team wrote eight years ago.

Iranian athletes who previously challenged the Islamic regime have left the country to pursue their careers.

Kimia Alizadeh, the first Iranian athlete to win an Olympic medal, who won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games in taekwondo, criticized the mandatory wearing of the hijab. She competed for the Refugee Olympic Team in Tokyo in 2021 and with Bulgaria in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Judoka Saeed Mollaei went into hiding in Germany after a dispute with Iranian national team officials at the 2019 world championships. Mollaei, the defending champion, said he was ordered to forfeit a match to avoid a potential gold medal match against an Israeli opponent. He obtained Mongolian citizenship and won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Dunbar reported from Geneva.