l 23 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday (April 24, 2026), Washington had no objections to Iranian players participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but he added the players will not be allowed to bring with them people with ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
"Nothing from the U.S. has told them they can't come," Mr. Rubio told reporters. President Donald Trump also said his administration "would not want to affect the athletes" in comments he made at the White House. The 2026 soccer World Cup is set to begin on June 11 across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
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Paolo Zampolli, Mr. Trump’s envoy who has no official connection with the World Cup, had earlier suggested that Italy should replace Iran at the tournament.
"The problem with Iran would be not their athletes. It would be some of the other people they would want to bring with them, some of whom have ties to the IRGC. We may not be able to let them in but not the athletes themselves," Mr. Rubio said.
