“Nothing from the US has indicated they can’t come,” Rubio informed reporters.
President Donald Trump also remarked that his administration “would not want to hinder the athletes” during comments made at the White House.
The 2026 soccer World Cup is scheduled to commence on June 11 across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Paolo Zampolli, a Trump envoy with no official connection to the World Cup, previously suggested that Italy should take Iran’s place in the tournament.
“The issue with Iran lies not with their athletes, but with others they may attempt to bring, some of whom have associations with the IRGC. While the athletes themselves may be allowed entry, we cannot guarantee the same for the others,” Rubio stated.
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“They can’t bring a group of IRGC terrorists into our country and claim they are journalists and athletic trainers,” Rubio continued. The U.S. has classified the IRGC as a “foreign terrorist organization.”
As of now, there are no indications that Iran will withdraw or face exclusion from the tournament that Italy missed out on.
Following the onset of the Iran war, Iran requested that FIFA relocate the team’s three group matches from the U.S. to Mexico, which was denied.
The U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28. Iran retaliated with strikes against Israel and Gulf states housing U.S. bases. U.S.-Israeli operations in Iran and Israeli strikes in Lebanon have resulted in thousands of deaths and millions displaced. A fragile ceasefire in the Iran war commenced over two weeks ago.
