British media reports reported on Wednesday that the Iraqi national team may obtain a direct qualification ticket to the 2026 World Cup, scheduled to be held next summer in the United States, Canada and Mexico, if Iran officially withdraws from the tournament.
The Iranian Minister of Youth and Sports, Ahmad Donia Mali, had indicated the possibility of his country not participating in the World Cup finals, due to the current war, considering that the current conditions do not allow for the tournament to take place.
Donia Mali said in a television interview that during the past months, Iran has faced great military pressure and conflicts, which resulted in a large number of casualties, adding that participation in the World Cup under these circumstances seems impossible.
It is not yet clear whether the decision to withdraw is final, while the Daily Mail reported that FIFA is studying possible alternatives if Iran’s absence is confirmed, due to the importance of deciding seats before the start of the qualifying play-off matches for the tournament.
According to reports, several teams can benefit from this, including Iraq, the Emirates, Suriname, and Bolivia, especially since Iran is in Group F with New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt.
The Sun newspaper explained that one of the proposed solutions is to give the Iraqi national team a direct ticket to Group Six instead of Iran, with the Suriname and Bolivia national teams competing for the remaining seat through the playoff.
The Iraqi national team is scheduled to play the global qualifying match for the World Cup on the 31st of this month in the Mexican city of Monterrey, where the winner of the match between Suriname and Bolivia awaits.
In a related context, the Iraqi Football Association called for the match to be postponed, explaining that the current security conditions hinder the team’s travel, after the closure of Iraqi airspace following the air strikes that targeted Iran last week, and the subsequent military response with missiles and drones that affected Israel and countries in the region. (Arabic)
