The Iranian national football team may not participate in the 2026 World Cup, and in this case, its place will most likely be taken by another team from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Medianews.az, citing Oxu.Az, reports that the most realistic candidate for the replacement is considered to be the Iraq national team.
The Iraqi national team will face the winner of the intercontinental playoff final between Bolivia and Suriname on March 31. If Iraq loses this match, it will be the one to gain a spot in the World Cup instead of Iran.
If the Iraq national team wins and directly qualifies for the tournament through the playoff, the next candidate will be the United Arab Emirates (UAE) team.
Recall that on March 11, amid a large-scale conflict ignited in the Middle East, Iran's Minister of Sports, Ahmad Donyamali, declared that the national team will not participate in the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada this summer.