SEATTLE — Iran’s Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali announced Wednesday that the country will not participate in the World Cup.
The withdrawal follows a declaration from Iranian officials citing political tensions with the United States government.
The decision comes less than 100 days before the tournament is set to begin, and the team is slated to play Egypt at Lumen Field in June.
Donyamali stated that the country “cannot” participate in the global tournament. He attributed the withdrawal to actions taken by the American government.
“This corrupt (U.S.) government has assassinated our leader,” Donyamali said.
Patrick Schoettmer, a political science professor at Seattle University, described the withdrawal as a significant setback for the host nation.
“For the US, first of all, it’s a huge embarrassment,” Schoettmer said.
He noted that using the world’s most popular sport is a deliberate choice for international messaging.
“And soccer, as the biggest sport in the world, is a really effective way to communicate that message,” Schoettmer said.
Schoettmer explained that the cancellation reduces the number of high-profile international events the city will host this summer.
“So, you already had that tension and turmoil around that. And now with Iran pulling out, that’s one less event that Seattle gets to host,” Schoettmer said.
Local Iranian Americans expressed varying reactions to the news. Homeria Bakhtiri, an Iranian activist living in the Pacific Northwest, said the announcement was not entirely unexpected.
“They show that they cannot control anything, including the World Cup,” Bakhtiri said.
Bakhtiri described having conflicted emotions regarding the team’s absence from the competition.
“So this is actually good news, but on the other hand, it’s not kind of not good news because I believe we lost that opportunity to be against them,” Bakhtiri said.
Despite the official withdrawal, tickets for the match between Iran and Egypt are still being sold on multiple websites.
It remains unclear which nation will fill the vacancy in the bracket.
According to ESPN, Iraq is currently the only team that could potentially qualify to take Iran’s place to play Egypt in Seattle.
Bakhtiri is looking beyond the sporting event toward broader political change. She said those hoping for a change in leadership are also concerned for their relatives abroad.
“Especially their families where they were threatened by this regime. And we want to help them as much as we can,” Bakhtiri said.