Sardar Azmoun, one of Iran’s top soccer players, has been expelled from the national team for a perceived act ​of disloyalty to the government, Iranian media has reported, making it unlikely he will play any part in ‌the World Cup.

Iran’s participation in the World Cup as a whole is under a cloud because of the ongoing conflict with the United States, who are co-hosting the June 11-July 19 tournament with Mexico and Canada.

If Team Melli do turn up for their opening-round group matches, they will undoubtedly be weakened by ​the absence of striker Azmoun, who has scored 57 goals in 91 internationals since making his debut as a ​teenager in 2014.

Azmoun, who plays his club football in the United Arab Emirates for Shabab Al-Ahli, upset ⁠the Iranian authorities this week by posting a picture on his Instagram feed of a meeting with Dubai’s ruler Mohammed bin ​Rashid Al Maktoum.

Iran has launched rocket and drone attacks on the UAE following air strikes by the United States and Israel, which ​killed the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

A report on the Fars News Agency, which has links to the hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, cited “an informed source within the national team” as saying Azmoun had been expelled from the squad.

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Azmoun later removed the pictures but was still lambasted on state ​TV on Thursday with football pundit Mohammad Misaghi saying the striker’s actions had been an act of disloyalty.

“It’s unfortunate that you ​don’t have enough sense to understand what kind of behaviour is appropriate at a given time,” Misaghi said.

AFC Qualifiers – Third Round – Group A – Iran v United Arab Emirates – Azadi Sports Complex, Tehran, Iran – March 20, 2025 Iran’s Sardar Azmoun in action with United Arab Emirates’ Kouame Kouadio Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS /File Photo 

“We should not mince words with such people. ‌They ⁠should be told that they are not worthy of wearing the national team jersey.

“We have no patience for this sulking and childish behaviour. National team players should be people who proudly belt out the national anthem and deserve to wear the Iran jersey.”

There was no immediate response to a request for comment on the matter from the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI).

Azmoun, 31, is ​one of the best-known footballers ​in Iran, where the game ⁠is a national obsession.

He has played his entire club career abroad with stints at Zenit Saint Petersburg, Bayer Leverkusen and Roma as well as featuring for Iran in the 2018 and 2022 World ​Cups.

An unsourced report on the Novad News channel said on Thursday that an order had been ​issued for the ⁠seizure of the assets of Azmoun, another UAE-based national team forward Mehdi Ghayedi, and former international Soroush Rafiei.

Misaghi was speaking against the backdrop of pictures of a ceremony welcoming the Iranian women’s national team back to Tehran on their return from Australia.

Seven of the delegation accepted asylum ⁠in Australia ​after the team was branded “wartime traitors” on Iranian state TV for not singing ​the national anthem before a Women’s Asian Cup match. Five later decided to return to Iran.

Iran’s men are scheduled to play friendly internationals in Antalya, Turkey against Nigeria on ​March 27 and Costa Rica four days later as part of their World Cup preparations.

-Reuters

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• Summary

• * Iran continue preparations for World Cup amid conflict
• * Soccer chief says will not play in US, will not withdraw
• * FIFA urged to ensure safety and human rights at World Cup

The Iranian national team are ​continuing to prepare for the World Cup finals and have no intention of pulling out of the tournament ‌even if they will not travel to the United States, soccer chief Mehdi Taj said on Wednesday.

Iran were one of the first nations to qualify for the finals but their participation has been in doubt since the conflict between the Islamic Republic and the United States began in late February.

The tournament ​runs from June 11 to July 19 and is being staged in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Team Melli are scheduled ​to play all three of their opening-round group matches in the U.S. but Taj said on ⁠Monday the Iranian FA (FFIRI) was negotiating with FIFA to have them moved to Mexico.

Iran will play Nigeria on March 27 and Costa ​Rica four days later in Antalya as part of a four-nation invitational tournament that had to be moved from Jordan because of ​the conflict in the Middle East.

“The national team is holding a training camp in Turkey, and we will also play two friendly matches there,” FFIRI President Taj was quoted as saying by the Fars News Agency on Wednesday.

“We will boycott America, but we will not boycott the World Cup.”

Taj was ​speaking on Wednesday as he welcomed the players from the women’s national team back to Iran at the border crossing from ​Turkey after their protracted journey from Australia.

All of the delegation, who were in Australia for the Women’s Asian Cup, were offered asylum by the host ‌nation because ⁠of fears for their safety in Iran. While seven were accepted, only two ended up staying.

U.S. President Donald Trump had urged Australia to offer the players asylum and later said that while the Iranian men were welcome to play in the U.S., it might not be appropriate for their “life and safety”.

Trump later stressed any threat to the players would not come from the United States, but Taj — a ​former member of Iran’s hardline ​Revolutionary Guard — used the president’s ⁠statement as grounds for demanding the venue switch.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Tuesday that her country would be open to hosting Iran’s World Cup matches against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in ​June, but the final say on any venue switch would be FIFA’s.

Soccer’s world governing body ​said it was ⁠in contact with FFIRI but was “looking forward to all participating teams competing as per the match schedule announced on 6 December 2025”.

Beau Busch, the Asia-Pacific president of football players’ union FIFPRO, said it was FIFA’s duty to ensure the safety of everyone involved at the World ⁠Cup.

“FIFA have ​an institutional responsibility to protect human rights,” the Australian told Reuters.

“What’s critical is ​that FIFA undertake a really comprehensive human rights impact assessment, and they assess to ensure that every single participant at the World Cup, every player, every fan, ​can be safe, and that any risks are identified and mitigated effectively.”

-Reuters

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By Kunle Solaja.

Nigeria’s hopes of returning to the FIFA World Cup have finally collapsed after it emerged that the country’s protest against the eligibility of some players used by the Democratic Republic of Congo in last year’s African play-off was dismissed on procedural grounds.

The protest followed Nigeria’s defeat to the DR Congo national football team in the decisive African play-off match for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, played on November 16, 2025, at the Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco. The match ended 1–1 after regulation and extra time before the Congolese side prevailed in a sudden-death penalty shootout.

In the weeks after the match, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) raised concerns about the eligibility of several Congolese players, alleging irregularities in the issuance of passports that enabled them to feature in the encounter.

However, an inside source within FIFA, the world football governing body, has disclosed to Sports Village Square that the Nigerian protest did not meet the procedural requirements for it to be considered by FIFA’s judicial bodies.

According to the source, the NFF’s complaint was received by FIFA on November 28, 2025, nearly two weeks after the match in Rabat.

Under the Regulations Governing the Preliminary Competition for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, protests regarding player eligibility must follow strict timelines.

“Article 8 of the FIFA World Cup Preliminary Competition Regulations outlines the strict procedures for filing match protests.”

Article 8 of the regulations stipulates that any protest must first be communicated to the match commissioner within two hours of the completion of the match, and then followed by a detailed written submission within 24 hours.

The article states:
“Protests regarding the eligibility of players selected for matches in the preliminary competition shall be submitted in writing within two hours of the match and followed by a full written report within 24 hours.”

Because Nigeria’s protest was submitted on November 28 for a match played on November 16, it fell well outside the allowable window.

The source further revealed that the mandatory protest fee of 1,000 Swiss francs, which must accompany such submissions, was also not paid. As a result, the case was not formally processed by FIFA’s judicial bodies.

“The appeal that was widely reported was never actually entertained by the FIFA judicial authorities because it did not meet the procedural requirements,” the source explained, adding that the NFF was formally informed of the situation on March 9, 2026.

It took another week before the body made the decision known, indirectly with a claim of appeal of the judgment.

Under FIFA regulations, a protest must not only meet the deadline but must also include clear reasons, supporting evidence, and the relevant regulatory provisions before the Disciplinary Committee can examine the case.

Because the submission failed to satisfy these procedural conditions, FIFA dismissed the complaint without examining the substance of Nigeria’s allegations regarding player eligibility.

Football legal experts note that strict adherence to procedural timelines is a fundamental principle in international football disputes, and many protests have historically been rejected for similar reasons, regardless of the evidence presented.

Had the protest been properly filed and proven that DR Congo fielded ineligible players under FIFA rules, the consequences could have been severe. Under the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the offending team could face a 3–0 forfeiture of the match, along with possible fines or additional disciplinary sanctions.

Instead, the dismissal of the protest effectively confirms that Nigeria will not be among the 48 teams that will compete at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

DR Congo still have a lifeline and could qualify if it wins the playoff match against either New Caledonia or Jamaica on 31 March.

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