Iran's best result in the World Cup is a Group stage (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022) finish and enters the 2026 tournament ranked No. 20 in the latest FIFA World Rankings. Group play begins for Iran on New Zealand on June 15 in Los Angeles.

Iran’s 2026 World Cup plans face visa hurdles under Trump, creating diplomatic challenges ahead of the tournament.

FIFA issued a statement on Thursday night which said that the Iranian football federation had reversed its plans to boycott the FIFA World Cup draw, with the world football governing body saying the nation has sent a delegation to the United States to attend the event.

Iran has decided to boycott the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington next week because the U.S. denied visas to members of its delegation, the state-run IRNA news agency reported on Friday. The agency quoted Iranian soccer federation spokesman Amir-Mahdi Alavi as saying that officials faced visa obstacles that go

Iran will not participate in next week’s World Cup 2026 group-stage draw in Washington, D.C., following the Trump administration’s decision to deny visas to its representatives.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins in June and New Zealand's opponents have finally been revealed. By securing its bid as OFC third round winners, New Zealand is back in the World Cup after last qualifying in 2010. Following the 2026 World Cup draw on Dec. 5, New Zealand will begin its World Cup campaign in Group G.