Iran’s participation in the 2026 World Cup is in doubt now as it sends retaliatory attacks on the US-allied states in the Gulf in an escalating conflict following the latter’s collaborative attack on the Islamic Republic on February 28.

This year’s World Cup will be hosted in three countries, Mexico, Canada, and the USA, with most of the games set to be played in the US between 11 June and 19 July.

With the current tensions, President Donald Trump was asked about his stance on Iran’s participation in the World Cup, and he said he “does not care” while speaking during an interview with Politico on Tuesday, March 3.

“I really don’t care”. I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes,” he said.

This is the fourth consecutive time Iran have qualified for a World Cup, and they are scheduled to open their campaign against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles before their final group game against Egypt in Seattle.

The last time they qualified, they didn’t pull out of the competition despite their grappling with the effects of bomb attacks on three nuclear facilities at the time.

However, given the seriousness of their current situation, the head of Iran’s football federation, Mehdi Taj, has reportedly cast doubt on their participation.

Taj told Iranian television that it was “far from our expectations that we can look at the World Cup with hope”. He added the country’s sports officials would decide if any action was necessary.

FIFA’s general secretary, Mattias Grafstrom, said on Saturday: “Our focus is to have a safe World Cup with everybody participating.”

Meanwhile, the White House on Tuesday, January 21, announced that World Cup ticket holders can now access the priority visa appointments to travel to the United States.

This forms part of the US government’s efforts to help ticket holders secure priority visa appointment dates, as citizens of some qualified countries may otherwise be unable to obtain visas in time for the 2026 World Cup.

The FIFA Prioritised Appointment Scheduling System (FIFA PASS) is a special visa‑interview scheduling program created by the U.S. government and FIFA for the 2026 World Cup. It gives ticket holders priority access to U.S. visa appointments, ensuring fans can travel to matches in North America despite existing visa backlogs.

Speaking during a joint press briefing with FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the White House in Washington, D.C., on 17 November,last year President Donald Trump mentioned that “I’ve directed my administration to do everything within their power to make the 2026 World Cup an unprecedented success.”

The WhiteHouse however, warned that, a ticket isn’t a visa. Detailing how the ‘World’ will gain access into the US, the Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that, ticket-holders for the tournament, set for next June and July in the US, Canada and Mexico, will not be automatically granted a tourist visa.

But foreign nationals with tickets to World Cup football matches could get an interview at an embassy or consulate within six to eight weeks of applying, Rubio said.

“Your ticket is not a visa; it doesn’t guarantee admission to the US. We’re going to do the same vetting as anybody else would get. The only difference here is we’re moving them up in the queue,” the Secretary noted the first time the FIFA pass was announced in last year.

Roll out of the FIFA pass

The U.S. Department of State formally rolled out the system in January 2026, announcing its launch in Washington, D.C., and later detailed by the U.S. Department of State and FIFA.

US State Department has stressed that a Fifa Pass appointment does not guarantee a visa will be approved, with all ticket holders having to “undergo thorough security screening and vetting”.

Most citizens of countries under the US visa waiver programme, which covers much of Europe, including the UK, along with Japan, Australia and others, can ordinarily travel visa-free for up to 90 days, so do not need to use the Fifa Pass. Travellers from those countries would need to apply instead for an Esta – an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation.

A senior State Department official said the new Fifa Pass system will cut wait times, with applicants in “over 80%” of countries now able to schedule a visa appointment in “less than 60 days”.

It added: “At the visa appointment, the applicant must show they qualify for the visa and plan to follow our laws and leave at the end of the tournament. America’s safety and the security of our borders will always come first.”