Iran could be banned from next year's tournament

 

World Cup

 Trump Threatens to Ban Iran from 2026 World Cup

Iran has become the second Asian team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, after Japan, but it may not be allowed to participate in the tournament.

Inter Milan striker Mehdi Taremi scored two goals to lead Iran to a 2-2 draw against Uzbekistan on Tuesday. The result secured Iran's place in the 2026 World Cup finals, its fourth consecutive and seventh overall.

However, the British newspaper The Sun raised questions about the possibility of Iran being banned from participating in next year's tournament in Mexico, Canada, and the United States.

According to the British newspaper, Iran may be barred from participating due to the travel ban proposed by the US administration. The Trump administration has issued a list of 41 countries whose citizens are barred from entering the United States, meaning citizens of those countries will face significant difficulties entering the country.

Iran tops the list, along with countries such as North Korea, Yemen, and Syria. Other potential World Cup qualifiers also appear on the list, including Cameroon, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Venezuela.

The travel ban has not yet been confirmed by the current administration, but during Trump's first term, it barred citizens of several countries, including Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

On January 20, Trump signed an executive order aimed at protecting America and its citizens from foreign nationals who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten national security, espouse a hateful ideology, or exploit immigration laws for malicious purposes.