World Cup
Iran Withdraw From World Cup 2026
Iran cannot participate in the 2026 World Cup after co-host, the U.S. launched airstrikes alongside Israel, Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali said on Wednesday.
The attacks killed the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and triggered a region-wide conflict.
“Considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup,” the minister told state television.
The 48-team World Cup will be held in the U.S., Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19.
“Our children are not safe and, fundamentally, such conditions for participation do not exist,” Donyamali said.
“Given the malicious actions they have carried out against Iran, they have forced two wars on us over eight or nine months and have killed and martyred thousands of our people. Therefore, we certainly cannot have such a presence.”
More than 1,300 Iranian civilians have been killed since the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes began on February 28, according to Iran’s U.N. ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani.
IRAN DRAWN TO PLAY IN LA AND SEATTLE
Iran are grouped with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand.
All three of their Group G matches are scheduled to take place in the U.S., two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle.
Iran, who dominated the Asian qualifying rounds to qualify for the tournament in March last year, was the only nation missing from a FIFA planning summit for World Cup participants held last week in Atlanta.
There was no immediate comment from the Iranian Football Federation or world soccer’s governing body FIFA.
FIFA regulations state that any team that withdraws from the tournament “no later than 30 days before the first match” will be fined at least 250,000 Swiss francs ($320,800).
“Disciplinary sanctions may include the expulsion of the participating member association concerned from subsequent FIFA competitions and/or the replacement of the participating member association with another member association,” FIFA’s regulations say.
“The FIFA Council or the relevant committee may decide, in particular, to replace the member association in question with another association.”
Iran had selected Tucson’s sprawling Kino Sports Complex as the team’s base camp and 18 months of preparation hang in the balance with a potential economic hit in Arizona.
There is also the question of tickets to World Cup games involving Iran. Should Iran boycott the tournament, Iranian fans who bought tickets for eye-watering prices may be tempted to sell them on the huge resale market.
INFANTINO SAYS TRUMP WELCOMES IRAN TEAM
Earlier, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said he had met U.S. President Donald Trump, who told him he welcomed Iran’s participation in the World Cup.
Trump had previously said “I really don’t care” if Iran participated or not, but Infantino said he had a productive discussion with the president.
“During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States,” Infantino said.
A source in Tehran familiar with the matter said that as well as Iran’s decision not to attend the World Cup, warm-up games were not possible because of the war.
Earlier this week, Australia granted humanitarian visas to five Iranian women soccer players after they sought asylum, fearing persecution on their return home for their refusal to sing the national anthem at a Women’s Asian Cup match.
Trump had called on Australia to give asylum to members of the Iran women’s soccer team.
On Wednesday, Australian police helped two more members of the Iranian women’s soccer delegation slip their minders to claim asylum, but one has changed her mind and decided to go back to Iran, the country’s interior minister said.
-Reuters
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BY KUNLE SOLAJA
With the FIFA World Cup 2026™ entering its decisive phase, adidas has unveiled the TRIONDA FINAL, a specially designed Official Match Ball that will be used for the semi-finals, bronze-medal match and final of the record-breaking tournament.
The new ball represents a significant departure from previous FIFA World Cup traditions. While past tournaments typically introduced only colour variations for the latter stages, TRIONDA FINAL features an entirely new premium design that reflects the prestige of the competition’s concluding matches.
Finished in striking gold, white and black, the ball draws inspiration from the journey towards football’s most coveted prize. Its gold accents pay tribute to the FIFA World Cup trophy, while the black base gives it a bold and sophisticated appearance befitting the tournament’s biggest occasions.
TRIONDA FINAL builds on the original TRIONDA Official Match Ball, first unveiled in October 2025, retaining the same high-performance construction while introducing a design tailored specifically for the final four matches.
One of the ball’s most distinctive features is its tribute to the 16 Host Cities that have staged matches during the biggest FIFA World Cup in history. The four cities hosting the tournament’s climax—Dallas, Atlanta, Miami and New York New Jersey—are prominently incorporated into the main design elements.
The remaining host cities—Boston, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Monterrey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver—are embedded within the ball’s triangular graphics, ensuring their contribution to the tournament is celebrated until the final whistle.
“The TRIONDA FINAL ball for the last four matches of the FIFA World Cup is here,” said Gianni Infantino.
“The iconic TRIONDA has brought so much joy every time it has hit the back of the net in this FIFA World Cup, and it perfectly embodies the unity and passion of the tournament’s host nations Canada, Mexico and the United States.”
Infantino added that the ball would serve as a lasting symbol of the cities that have helped stage the tournament.
“For the final four matches of the tournament, this TRIONDA FINAL will be at the feet of the best players on the planet. Through every touch, dribble, flick, pass, cross, save, strike and goal, the 16 cities that have helped FIFA stage the record-breaking 23rd edition of the tournament will be further etched into FIFA World Cup folklore.”
Beyond its aesthetics, the TRIONDA FINAL also incorporates the latest evolution of adidas Connected Ball Technology, which provides real-time ball data to assist match officials in making faster and more accurate decisions while offering enhanced performance insights throughout the game.
The ball will make its debut in the semi-finals before taking centre stage in the bronze-medal match and the final in New York New Jersey, where the world champions of the largest FIFA World Cup ever staged will be crowned.
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Egypt coach Hossam Hassan will not be watching any more of the World Cup, he said on Tuesday, blaming refereeing errors for his country’s heartbreaking elimination from the tournament at the hands of Argentina.
Egypt were 2-0 up with 11 minutes left of their last 16 clash against the holders Argentina, agonisingly close to one of the great World Cup upsets, only to concede three goals in the closing stages and go out.
They were picked apart at the end of the game by a Lionel Messi-inspired comeback, but Hassan insisted his team were better.
“I’m going home and won’t be watching any more games from the tournament,” he told a press conference.
“What happened to us wasn’t fair. We should have had a penalty; a goal was disallowed, and I don’t know why it was disallowed.”
Egypt netted in the 62nd minute through Mostafa Zico, but a VAR check found there was a foul from the Egyptians in the buildup.
They also claimed a late penalty after a tug on Hamdy Fathy, and their anger was exacerbated by Argentina going down the other end and scoring a 92nd-minute winner.
“Even if the goals came from mistakes, the biggest mistake is not getting what you’re entitled to from those responsible for making the decisions,” said Hassan, whose press conference was a litany of complaints.
“I’m the type of person who hates losing. And when it’s a defeat that feels unjust like today’s, I can only tell the fans not to be upset. We wanted so much to give them more joy,” he added.
“But what made me happy was that my players followed the game plan on many occasions and worked very well.”
Egypt had been surprisingly attacking early on in the game, a departure from Hassan’s usual tactic of playing with a tight defence and looking for counter-attack opportunities.
It helped them take an early lead, but it was the heroics of goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir that ensured they remained in front by halftime.
“I’m very, very satisfied with the effort they put in. Most of our players come from the Egyptian domestic league, while many players in other national teams are based in Europe and live in that professional environment,” Hassan added.
“Yet with predominantly local players — besides Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush — we were able to compete with anyone.”
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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Switzerland ended a 72-year wait for a FIFA World Cup quarter-final appearance on Tuesday night, holding their nerve in a dramatic penalty shootout to beat Colombia 4-3 after 120 minutes of goalless football in Vancouver.
The hard-fought victory at BC Place sent the Swiss into the last eight for the first time since hosting the tournament in 1954 and set up a mouth-watering clash with defending champions Argentina national football team in Kansas City.
After neither side could find a breakthrough during regulation time or extra time, the contest was settled from the penalty spot, where Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel emerged as the hero.
The shootout tilted in Switzerland’s favour when Davinson Sanchez struck the crossbar for Colombia before Kobel produced a crucial save to deny Cucho Hernandez. Although Manuel Akanji missed Switzerland’s third kick by blasting over the bar, Ruben Vargas calmly converted the decisive penalty to spark wild celebrations among the Swiss players.
For Colombia, it was a painful exit. The South Americans had hoped to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for only the second time in their history, following their memorable run to the last eight in Brazil in 2014.
The match itself was a tense and tactical battle, with chances at a premium.
Colombia came closest in the first half when midfielder Gustavo Puerta curled a fine effort towards the far corner in the 21st minute, only for Kobel to produce a magnificent diving save. Switzerland responded almost immediately, but Colombian goalkeeper Camilo Vargas was equal to Fabian Rieder’s effort from a difficult angle.
As the match wore on, both sides struggled to break down disciplined defences. Swiss winger Dan Ndoye nearly stole victory in stoppage time, timing his run perfectly before dragging a low shot agonisingly wide of the far post.
Extra time brought even more drama. Colombia defender Jhon Lucumi thought he had delivered the decisive moment when he rose unmarked from a corner, only to see his powerful header crash against the crossbar. It was the closest either team came to scoring all evening.
The Colombians arrived in Vancouver with one of the tournament’s most impressive defensive records, having conceded just one goal throughout their campaign. Their resilience was again evident, but ultimately it was not enough to prevent elimination.
Switzerland, meanwhile, overcame a significant setback before kick-off. Rising star Johan Manzambi, the 20-year-old sensation who had contributed three goals and two assists during the tournament, was ruled out with a knee contusion suffered in training.
The atmosphere inside BC Place heavily favoured Colombia. Thousands of supporters dressed in yellow transformed the stadium into what felt like a home venue, creating a deafening wall of noise whenever their team attacked and jeering the Swiss whenever they had possession.
Yet when the decisive moment arrived, it was Switzerland who kept their composure.
Their reward is a quarter-final showdown against Lionel Messi and defending champions Argentina, who earlier staged a remarkable comeback from two goals down to defeat the Egypt national football team 3-2.
With confidence growing and history already made, the Swiss will now attempt to pull off another upset and continue their remarkable World Cup journey.
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adidas Unveils Gold-Coloured TRIONDA FINAL Ball For World Cup’s Closing Stages
Hossam Hassan Blames Refereeing Decisions For Egypt’s Heartbreaking Exit
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