Iran's World Cup participation in doubt amid US conflict

Iran's football federation head Mehdi Taj has reportedly cast doubt on the team's participation after the US attacked Iran in a joint operation with Israel. The team, qualified for their fourth consecutive World Cup, was not withdrawn when the US previously bombed nuclear facilities last summer.

With the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and significant political uncertainty, predicting Iran's World Cup participation has become impossible. Fifa officials privately expect Iran to be at the tournament, with general secretary Mattias Grafstrom stating their focus is 'to have a safe World Cup with everybody participating'.