Iran withdraw from 2026 World Cup: Could FIFA hand Nigeria’s Super Eagles a surprise ticket?

Iran’s sports minister Ahmad Donyamali has said the country will not take part in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, even though the national team already qualified for the tournament, Afrik-Foot reports.

The decision comes as political tensions grow between Iran, the United States and Israel ahead of the competition, which will be hosted in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.

Iran had been drawn in Group G, where they were due to play Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand. Their matches were scheduled to take place in Los Angeles and Seattle.

But Donyamali made it clear that the Iranian government does not believe it is possible for the team to compete in the United States.

Speaking on Iranian state television as per Reuters he said the country would not attend the tournament ‘under no circumstances.’

He added that the current political situation meant ‘such conditions for participation do not exist.’

Iran had already shown signs of distance from the tournament preparations. No representatives from the country attended a FIFA World Cup planning summit in Atlanta last week.

There were also earlier travel issues. Iran’s football federation president Mehdi Taj was unable to attend the World Cup draw in Washington last December after his visa application was rejected.

Meanwhile, FIFA president Gianni Infantino recently met US president Donald Trump, who insisted Iran would still be welcome to compete.

If Iran eventually confirm their withdrawal, it would mark the first time in 76 years that a country pulled out of the World Cup after already qualifying. The last time this happened was in 1950, when India and France withdrew from the tournament in Brazil.

World Cup: Could Nigeria’s Super Eagles benefit from Iran’s exit?

Iran’s potential withdrawal has also raised an important question in football circles: who would replace them?

According to FIFA’s tournament rules, the governing body has full control over that decision.

Article 6.7 of the 2026 World Cup regulations says that FIFA may replace a withdrawing nation with another association at its own discretion.

However, many experts believe that if Iran step aside, their place would almost certainly go to another Asian team, since Iran qualified through the Asian Football Confederation.

Countries like Iraq and the United Arab Emirates are currently seen as the strongest candidates if FIFA chooses a direct replacement.

That means the chances of Nigeria suddenly receiving a free ticket to the tournament appear extremely slim.

The Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after finishing behind South Africa in their group during African qualifying.

Nigeria did reach the continental playoffs, but their hopes ended in heartbreak when they lost on penalties to DR Congo.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has since filed a protest asking FIFA to disqualify DR Congo from the intercontinental playoffs and allow Nigeria to take their place instead.

But FIFA has not yet issued a decision, and the longer the delay continues, the stronger DR Congo’s position becomes.

Because of that situation, some fans have begun to wonder if Iran’s possible withdrawal could offer Nigeria a second chance.

In reality, that outcome looks unlikely.

FIFA traditionally prefers to replace a withdrawing team with another country from the same continental confederation, especially when qualification competitions have already finished.

There is also the possibility that FIFA could simply allow Group G to continue with three teams instead of four, although that option would be unusual.

The dream of returning to the 2026 World Cup for Nigeria through Iran’s exit therefore remains more of a remote possibility than a realistic scenario. Still, until FIFA makes a final decision on Iran’s participation, the story is not completely closed.