Punishment Iran Could Face After Boycotting the 2026 World Cup
- FIFA would have full discretion if Iran's national football team decides to withdraw from the 2026 World Cup
- The country's participation in the tournament has been thrown into doubt despite having already qualified
- Iran was scheduled to face Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup
Former FIFA Director of Football Regulatory James Kitching has outlined the potential consequences Iran could face if the country officially withdraws from the 2026 World Cup.
Tensions in the Middle East escalated after a joint military strike by the United States and Israel on February 28 reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Source: Getty Images
Iran later launched retaliatory strikes targeting several countries across the region, including Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Cyprus.
The unrest has also begun affecting sport.
Seven members of Iran’s women’s national football team were granted asylum following the AFC Women's Asian Cup in Australia, although one player later reversed her decision and returned to Iran.
Uncertainty also surrounds the participation of the Iranian men’s national team at the 2026 World Cup, despite the nation already securing qualification.
The country is currently scheduled to play all its group-stage matches in the United States against Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand.
However, it remains unclear whether they will take part.
Iran’s Minister of Sports and Youth, Ahmad Donyamali, told IRIB Sports Network that the country currently lacked the conditions to participate in the tournament.
His comments followed remarks from Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, who stated that Donald Trump had said Iran would be 'welcome to compete in the tournament' in the US after a preparation meeting on Wednesday, March 11.
Source: Getty Images
Iran facing sanction over World Cup boycott
If Iran ultimately boycotts the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, they could potentially face sanctions, according to Kitching.
Speaking to Reuters, the former FIFA Director of Football Regulatory explained:
“There’s no modern precedent for this, and, according to FIFA’s own tournament regulations, they have full discretion to do whatever they want in the case of a team withdrawing.
“That means, for example, a team that withdraws wouldn’t have to be replaced by a team from the same confederation, or even replaced at all. Whether either of those scenarios would be politically tenable is a different question.
“The tournament regulations also provide disciplinary sanctions for any federation whose team withdraws. However, if Iran withdrew for any reason related to this current conflict, I doubt FIFA would impose any sanctions given the circumstances.”
Although Kitching believes sanctions are unlikely, official World Cup regulations state that any participating member association that withdraws from the tournament at least 30 days before the opening match can be fined a minimum of 250,000 Swiss francs by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee.
If a team withdraws fewer than 30 days before the start of the competition, the minimum fine increases to 500,000 Swiss francs.
Any federation that pulls out would also be required to reimburse preparation funds and other tournament-related payments received from FIFA.
Iran’s opening match at the tournament is currently scheduled to take place against New Zealand in California on 16 June.
African teams qualified for 2026 World Cup
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that nine African national teams had earned direct qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after the opening phase of the CAF qualifying campaign concluded in October 2025.
Among the nations that successfully sealed their places were Ghana, along with continental powerhouses Egypt, Senegal, Morocco, and Tunisia, all of whom booked their tickets to the global tournament coming up in June.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
