The war in West Asia and Middle East could have serious implications on the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026. With just 101 days to go for the tournament, Iran have threatened to pull out of the competition in the USA citing the ongoing US-Iran-Israel war. Should Iran boycott, Iraq and UAE could be in contention to make it to the tournament.
The threat comes amid the ongoing US-Iran-Israel War that has ravaged West Asia and the gulf countries. Iran qualified for the FIFA World Cup to be held in USA and Mexico, with a USA vs Iran match set should both make it out of their groups.
What happens if Iran boycott FIFA World Cup 2026?
If Iran pull out of the tournament in advance, then FIFA can bring in a replacement. Iran qualified by virtue of topping its Asian qualifying group. The Asian nation were drawn in Group G, alongside New Zealand, Egypt, and Belgium.
A replacement team would be a team from the same confederation (AFC in this case). In most scenarios, the next best-placed or runner-up team from qualifying or the play-off stage. While not the same sport or federation, ICC recently replaced Bangladesh with Scotland as they were the higher ranked team in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
In the current scenario, Iraq and UAE could benefit from Iran's boycott. Iraq are set to compete in the AFC path’s intercontinental play-off, putting them next in line if Iran’s direct spot becomes vacant. Iraq could still qualify if Iran continue to feature, if they win that playoff berth. In that case, the UAE are another strong contender to take Iran’s spot because they were the highest-ranked AFC team that narrowly missed qualification after losing to Iraq in the qualifying play-offs.
