Iran sports minister says team will not play in World Cup

"For 90 million Iranians, football is probably as close to a religion as it can get". Afshin Ghotbi, who coached both US and Iranian national teams, reacts to the Iranian sports minister declaring that the side will not be playing in the FIFA World Cup Finals in the United States this summer despite qualifying. He was speaking to Newshour's Tim Franks.

(Photo: Iran's players pose for a team picture ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asia zone qualifiers group A football match between Iran and the North Korea at the Azadi Sports Complex in Tehran on 10 June 2025. Credit: Atta Kenare / AFP via Getty Images)