US President Donald Trump has cast doubt on Iran’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, warning that it may not be “appropriate” for the Iranian national team to travel to North America while tensions with Washington remain high.

In a social media post, Trump said that, in principle, Iran’s players would be allowed to attend the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. But he framed their potential appearance as a security dilemma rather than a sporting issue, suggesting that the safety of Iranian players and fans could be at risk.

“Iran’s national soccer team is welcome to the World Cup, but I don’t believe it would be appropriate for their own life and safety,” he wrote, implying that the volatile political climate could spill over into the stands and onto the streets around match venues.

The remarks appeared to undercut assurances previously relayed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who had said that Trump guaranteed Iranian players and staff would be granted entry for the tournament. FIFA has long insisted that host nations must provide non-discriminatory access to all qualified teams, a principle that has been tested before when politics and football collide.

Iran has already secured its place among the 48 teams set to compete in the expanded World Cup. The team is scheduled to play group-stage matches in Inglewood, Seattle and other US host cities, fixtures that were initially seen as an opportunity for rare people-to-people contact between Iranians and Americans.

Although a US travel ban continues to affect several countries, including Iran, athletes and accredited officials are generally exempt from such restrictions for major international events. That carve-out had been expected to smooth Iran’s path to the tournament, even as diplomatic relations deteriorated.

Trump’s latest comments, however, fold the World Cup into a broader confrontation involving the United States, Israel and Iran, as the three remain locked in an escalating conflict that has sharpened regional and global anxieties. His suggestion that Iran’s participation might be unsafe raises fresh questions for FIFA and tournament organizers, who must now weigh security assessments against the governing body’s commitment to keeping the World Cup open to all qualified nations.