The Iran national team has said that hosts USA should be “excluded” from the World Cup 2026, just hours after Donald Trump claimed it would not be “appropriate” for them to participate.

GENEVA — Pushing back on U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments, Iran’s national soccer team says “no one can exclude” it from playing in the men’s World Cup in the United States.

“Considering that this corrupt regime [the U.S.] has assassinated our leader, under ‌no circumstances ‌can we ⁠participate in the World Cup,” Iran’s sports minister Ahmad Donyamali said, adding that “...