Has a team withdrawn from the FIFA World Cup before? Exploring the World Cup history amid Iran’s participation uncertainty

Rising tensions between Iran, the United States and Israel have created uncertainty over Iran’s place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The tournament will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico in a new 48-team format.

Iran qualified from Asia after finishing top of their group. However, the recent military strikes and Iran’s response have raised fresh doubts about whether the team will travel to North America.The crisis has now deepened after Iran launched attacks on US targets in the Middle East and in Israel. With tensions continuing, many are asking whether a team has ever withdrawn from a FIFA World Cup before and what could happen next.

Teams that have withdrawn from the FIFA World Cup history

History shows that withdrawals have happened before. The most chaotic tournament was the 1950 FIFA World Cup held in Brazil. Several nations chose not to enter the qualification. After qualifying, Turkey, Scotland and India pulled out before the tournament began. The main reasons were high travel costs and player registration problems.FIFA invited Portugal to replace Turkey, even though Portugal had lost to Spain in qualifying.

Portugal declined the offer, saying the travel expenses were too high. France also withdrew after qualifying, again because of travel and scheduling concerns. FIFA approached Portugal once more, but they refused again. In the end, the tournament went ahead with only 13 teams instead of 16.Another major withdrawal happened at the 1938 FIFA World Cup. Austria qualified but withdrew after the country was annexed by the then Nazi Germany.

FIFA did not name a replacement. Sweden, Austria’s scheduled opponent, advanced directly to the next round.In 1934, defending champions Uruguay withdrew after several European teams refused to travel to South America in the FIFA World Cup 1930. In 1966, African teams boycotted the qualifying rounds after only one combined spot was given by FIFA for Africa, Oceania and Asia teams. As of now, Iran remains scheduled to compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

They topped Group A in Asian qualifying with 26 points. The UAE finished third in the same group and later missed out in the play-offs. Iran are set to face Belgium, New Zealand and Egypt in Group G, with matches planned in Los Angeles and Seattle.Mehdi Taj, head of Iran’s football federation, has expressed uncertainty. He indicated that after the recent attacks, it is difficult for the country to feel optimistic about participating in the World Cup, according to comments reported by the Associated Press.While no official decision has been made, past tournaments show that withdrawals are rare but not something that hasn't happened yet. The final call will rest with FIFA in case the situation worsens.