With World Cup 2026 on the horizon the participation of some nations, namely Iran, remains in the balance. The United States and President Donald Trump are central figures in this tension that has seen boycotts rumoured.

In just a few months the pinnacle of international football will be staged in North America with 104 matches hosted across the US, Mexico and Canada. However, of the 48 teams expected to participate, foreign policies and travel ban concerns have thrown multiple spanners into the works. Countries boycotting the competition is now a very real possibility as Express Sport guides you through each competing nation’s stance

The geopolitical climate in the US has taken a tense turn in recent weeks and in light of Trump’s role in the state-level war across the Middle East it appears Iran could boycott the upcoming World Cup.

Iran have not officially withdrawn from the tournament but are in a standoff with the US. After Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali claimed this month that it is “not possible” for his country to attend the competition, president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, has this week stated they could still play though are attempting to have all their matches moved to Mexico.

They have been placed in Group G and are due to play two games in Los Angeles and a single tie in Seattle. One of their supposed opponents is New Zealand and they made their stance on a boycott crystal clear this week by claiming they are continuing as though they will face Iran on June 15.

Head coach Darren Bazeley said: “They [Iran] are the team that qualified and we got drawn against them. That’s still the fixture and until we get told otherwise, we’ll ‌continue ⁠with that preparation.”

Concerning other major nations, Germany were urged to boycott the competition in January after Trump’s takeover bid for Greenland and military actions in Venezuela. This was quickly dispelled by the German football federation who have ruled out such an action.

Spain’s World Cup participation has also been blurred this month. Trump threatened to cut off all trade with Spain two weeks ago after they refused to facilitate the US’ strikes against Iran. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been a vocal critic of US foreign policy, though no boycott has been officially suggested.

Despite calls from some Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom, there is currently no suggestion that England or Scotland will boycott the World Cup, nor Northern Ireland or Wales should they qualify.

Both France and the Netherlands announced in January, following Trump’s Greenland threats, that they would not withdraw from the competition at this stage, as did Denmark and Belgium. Norway have been verbally critical of Israel’s participation in the competition but have not hinted at a boycott either.

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It can be inferred from the other participating nations’ silence that they will also take their places in the competition as things stand. However, some face potentially disruptive travel bans imposed by the Trump administration.

Both Iran and Haiti are currently under a full entry ban, meaning their citizens are barred from receiving both immigrant and non-immigrant visas. Some other teams are under partial restrictions and they face a possible suspension of B-1/B-2 (tourism/business) and student visas. This essentially rules out fans from these countries attending matches in the US.

These include Senegal, the Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Venezuela, but a handful of others could also be affected by various visa issues. Growing administrative crises are brewing in Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Argentina, Egypt and Morocco.