Iran may choose to boycott the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and MexicoIran could be about to boycott the 2026 World Cup after tensions flared in the Middle East following a US-Israeli-sanctioned bombing campaign. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed during the airstrikes, with questions having surfaced about the nation’s participation in the upcoming World Cup. It would cause a headache for FIFA’s bigwigs, not least because no qualified nation has ever boycotted the World Cup on political grounds. India didn't compete at the 1950 World Cup but not for the reason most thinkIndia pull out amid ‘barefoot’ claimIndia have only qualified for one World Cup, but the Asian nation never got a chance to compete at it. Read our Privacy PolicyIn recent times, there have been very few boycott threats, but tensions did flare during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Source: Express March 01, 2026 15:14 UTC