From 1934 to 2026: Iran Joins the List of Political World Cup Boycotts

Iran's national football team will not participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup due to the ongoing military conflict involving the United States and Israel. Ahmad Donyamali, Iran's Minister of Sports, stated that there are currently "no conditions” allowing the Iranian team to take part in the tournament.

Photo: https://unsplash.com by Carlos Felipe Ramírez Mesa is licensed under Free

Football on grass field

All three of Iran's scheduled group-stage matches were set to take place in the United States. The team had been drawn into a group alongside the national teams of Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand.

So far, Iran remains the only team to withdraw from the upcoming tournament. However, discussions of a potential boycott have previously surfaced. In January, The Economist journalist Shashank Joshi reported that amid political tensions surrounding Greenland, European officials had considered the idea of boycotting the World Cup, which will partly take place in the United States this summer.

Economic Expectations for the 2026 Tournament

The United States expects the 2026 World Cup to attract around 10 million foreign visitors. The tournament is expected to create approximately 200,000 jobs and generate around $30 million for the American economy.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19 across three host countries — the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The final match is scheduled to be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The United States will host 78 matches, while Mexico and Canada will host 13 each.

Historical Boycotts in World Cup History

Political disputes and disagreements with football authorities have occasionally led national teams to boycott the World Cup. One of the earliest examples dates back to the 1934 tournament in Italy.

Uruguay, which had won the inaugural World Cup in 1930, refused to defend its title four years later. Officials in the South American nation explained the decision as retaliation: many leading European teams — including Spain, Italy, and England — had declined to travel to Uruguay for the first World Cup.

To this day, Uruguay remains the only World Cup champion that did not participate in the following tournament.

Bolivia and Paraguay joined the boycott, while Chile and Peru later withdrew from the qualifying tournament.

World Cup 1938 in France

Argentina and Uruguay refused to participate in the 1938 World Cup in France due to disagreements with FIFA policy. The Argentine Football Association argued that the tournament should alternate between South America and Europe. The federation protested the fact that the World Cup was being held in Europe for the second consecutive time.

World Cup 1950 in Brazil

India, which had successfully qualified for the tournament, declined to take part in the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. According to one widely cited explanation, the All India Football Federation insisted that the national team would play barefoot — a tradition rooted in how many Indian players had learned the sport.

FIFA prohibited players from competing without boots. Other versions suggest that some officials in India simply did not view the World Cup as important enough to justify the financial costs of participation.

World Cup 1958 in Sweden

Turkey, Indonesia, Egypt, and Sudan refused to play qualifying matches against Israel during the 1958 World Cup qualification cycle. As a result, Israel advanced without opponents to the playoff stage, where it ultimately lost to Wales.

World Cup 1966 in England

Fifteen African national teams boycotted the qualification process for the 1966 World Cup. The protest followed FIFA's decision in 1964 that Africa, Asia, and Oceania would share only one qualifying spot for the final tournament — a decision widely regarded as deeply unfair by African football associations.

In response, fifteen African teams withdrew from the qualification cycle entirely. South Africa did not join the boycott but was barred from competing because of the country's apartheid policies.