The head of the Iranian Football Federation said that he does not know whether the national team will be able to play World Cup matches in the United States after the sudden American and Israeli bombing of his country.
“What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Mehdi Taj told the Varzesh3 sports website, as Iran exchanged blows with Israel as part of a widening war sparked by the bombing.
US-Israeli strikes on Iran continued for a second day on Sunday after the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threw the future of the Islamic Republic into uncertainty and increased the risk of regional instability.
Iran was drawn into Group G of the World Cup and is scheduled to play in Los Angeles – where it will face New Zealand and Belgium on June 15 and 21, respectively – before playing Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
The United States will host the tournament with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
Fans from Iran have already been banned from entering the United States in the first iteration of the travel ban announced by the Trump administration.
FIFA did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press regarding the current situation regarding Iran’s participation in the World Cup, but said on Saturday that it was monitoring developments in the region.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
