The military conflict in the Middle East is also overshadowing the football World Cup.
The United States, one of the organizers, is at war with Iran, one of the participating countries, Kicker wrote on Tuesday. What impact will the conflict have on the most important sporting event?
What does the Organizing Committee say?
A World Cup task force set up by US President Donald Trump a year ago is headed by Andrew Giuliani. After the Iran attack was launched, he wrote briefly on X: “Tomorrow we will take care of the soccer games. Today we celebrate the chance for freedom.”
FIFA's position
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General secretary Mattias Grafstrom made the comments ahead of the IFAB meeting in Wales last weekend.
"It's still a little early to give detailed comment, but of course we are following developments in all events in the world," he said.
The top priority remains providing security for the World Cup, in which all qualified representative teams participate. There was no further comment from FIFA.
How did the Iran Federation react?
The President of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, spoke to Iranian media.
"It is clear that after this attack we cannot look towards the World Cup with optimism."
So far there have been no talks about withdrawing from the World Cup, or boycotting the event.
Reactions from Iran players
There has been no official reaction so far. Players are reluctant to speak out as they could face severe punishment for criticizing the regime. Former Iran player Ali Kerimi welcomed the assassination of Ali Khamenei, calling it a step towards freedom for the Iranian people. The former Bundesliga player was a long-time supporter of the Iranian opposition and has lived outside Iran for many years.
Implications for Iranian fans
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Currently, there is none. The US generally does not issue visas to Iranians. This was the case even before the war began. This has even affected Iranian federation officials, including president Mehdi Taj. Federation leaders were unable to travel to the US for the draw ceremony in December.
Does the attack have an impact on Iran's World Cup preparations?
Following Khamenei's death, a 40-day mourning period has been declared, including the cancellation of sporting events.
As a result, Iran will not play any friendlies during March. Iran had planned to participate in a tournament in Jordan, where it would play Nigeria and Costa Rica.
What happens if Iran doesn't participate?
The last time a qualified team did not participate in the World Cup was in 1950. This would be unprecedented in modern football.
FIFA's rules for this are very strict. It is expected that the remaining vacant place would be filled by the best Asian team that did not qualify. Iraq and the United Arab Emirates are candidates for this.
Iraq is still participating in the intercontinental playoff. If eliminated, it could replace Iran, should Iran eventually withdraw.
If Iraq qualifies directly, the United Arab Emirates, who lost to Iraq in the Asian playoff, could benefit.
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If Iran voluntarily withdraws, a month before the World Cup begins, the federation will have to pay a fine of 275 euros.
The penalty is doubled if the notification is made later. The withdrawal would also have an impact on participation in the 2030 World Cup.
