Iraq or UAE could take Iran’s World Cup finals spot due to Middle East crisis | World Cup 2026
Iraq and the United Arab Emirates are seen as the most likely beneficiaries if Iran withdraws from the World Cup. Fifa Secretary General Mattias Grafström said on Saturday that “our goal is to organize a safe World Cup with the participation of all”, but the president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, cast doubt on his country’s participation, saying: “After this attack, we cannot be expected to wait for the World Cup with hope.”
Fifa has made no comment since Grafstrom spoke and remains committed to ensuring the World Cup, which begins on June 11, goes ahead as planned, but several sources have said that if Iran’s withdrawal forces its hand, the replacement would likely come from the Asian Football Confederation.
The FIFA World Cup regulations are vague on replacing a qualified team for the final, specifying only that it has “its sole discretion” to “take any action deemed necessary” and that it “may decide to replace the participating member association in question with another association.”
Iran’s withdrawal from the World Cup would be unprecedented in the modern era, with no country having withdrawn from the tournament after the draw since France and India sat out in 1950, citing travel costs.
Iran secured their place in the World Cup final by winning Group A of the AFC Third Qualifying Round and are set to face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles and then Egypt in Seattle in their group matches.
The UAE lost the qualifiers to Iraq, which took the winners to the intercontinental qualifiers on March 31 against Bolivia or Suriname in Monterrey, after which the winners will reach the final.
If Iraq fail to qualify, Fifa sources have indicated they would be first in line to replace Iran if necessary. If Iraq reaches the final, its place could default to the United Arab Emirates, the second highest ranked Asian country not to have a place in the final.
FIFA remains focused on the World Cup going ahead as planned, despite the conflict between Iran and the United States. The US government has barred Iranian citizens from entering the country, with some exceptions for national team members and support staff, and several IFF officials, including Taj, were denied visas to attend the World Cup draw in Washington DC in December.
