PARIS, France, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iran will "boycott the UnitedStates" but "not the World Cup", Iranian football federation president MehdiTaj said in a video released by the Iranian press agency Fars. "We will be preparing for the World Cup. We will boycott the United Statesbut not the the World Cup," Taj said in the video released on Wednesday. But the Republican president then triggered uproar last week after statingthat Iran's football team should not travel to the tournament "for their ownlife and safety". Iran hit back at Trump's comments saying that "no one can exclude Iran'snational team from the World Cup".

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha March 19, 2026 10:22 UTC