World Cup 2026: FIFA is studying options after Iran’s team withdrawal.

Forced to withdraw from the FIFA World Cup 2026 in a tense geopolitical climate, Iran leaves a vacancy that FIFA is now looking to fill, with several possible scenarios involving, notably, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq.

FIFA would already be weighing a replacement scenario after the announcement of Iran’s withdrawal from the FIFA World Cup 2026, according to information reported by the British daily Daily Mirror. Scheduled mainly in the United States, the 2026 World Cup is indirectly affected by geopolitical tensions. The Iranian withdrawal comes in a particularly unstable context after American-Israeli strikes that reportedly hit Tehran and led to the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.

On the sporting side, this decision now forces the global governing body of football to find a team to complete the group already made up of the Egypt national team, Belgium’s national team, and New Zealand’s national team. Yet qualified by finishing top of its Asian qualifying group, Iran thus leaves a vacancy. Among the scenarios studied by FIFA is the promotion of the United Arab Emirates team, second in that group.

But the scenario remains complex. The Emiratis were indeed defeated by the Iraq national team in the decisive match opening the way to the intercontinental playoffs. In this context, Iraq must now face the winner of the matchup between the Bolivia national team and the Suriname national team to secure its ticket to the World Cup. In light of this unprecedented situation, some observers are already discussing another hypothesis: the direct allocation of the vacant spot to Iraq, which would force the United Arab Emirates to go through an additional playoff in hopes of joining the finals.