Team Pulls Out of World Cup for First Time Since 1950

Iran has pulled out of this summer's World Cup in the US, despite word from FIFA and the White House that it would be allowed to play. Hours after FIFA president Gianni Infantino said President Trump assured him Iran's team would be "welcome" at the tournament, Iran's sports minister Ahmad Donyamali told state TV the country would not take part, citing the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and calling the US a "corrupt regime" that had "forced two wars on us" and "martyred thousands of our people."

• "Considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup," Donyamali said, per CBS Sports. "If any other country were to host the World Cup and did even one-thousandth of what they did, the international community would definitely take action and take the hosting rights away from that country."

• This is the first time since 1950 that teams have pulled out of the World Cup after qualifying. Countries including Turkey, France, and India withdrew that year, citing issues including the cost of travel to Brazil.
• It's not clear whether FIFA will find a last-minute replacement for Iran or treat its four-team group as a three-team group, the Athletic reports. The organization, which could have penalized the US if it had barred Iran from the tournament, might punish Iran for withdrawing.

• Iran was drawn in Group G with Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand and was slated to play all three group-stage matches on US soil, two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle, the Guardian reports. A possible knockout clash against the US in Dallas could have followed. In the 1998 World Cup in France, Iran knocked the US out of the tournament with a 2-1 win. The US delivered payback in Qatar 24 years later.
• In a post on X Tuesday, Infantino said he had met with Trump to "discuss the status of preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, and the growing excitement as we are set to kick off in just 93 days." He said the president "reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States." The New York Times notes that Infantino has been criticized for his "full-throated endorsement" of Trump. In December, he awarded the president the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize.