FIFA regulations qualify the UAE national team for the 2026 World Cup

The British newspaper “Mirror” reported that the regulations of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) have specified the options for alternative teams to participate in the 2026 World Cup, instead of the Iranian national team in the event that it is excluded from the competition scheduled for next summer.

The newspaper said that the FIFA regulations indicate a general mechanism for dealing with such cases, as the rules stipulate that the substitute team can be an alternative candidate who is often chosen from the direct runner-up in the qualifying playoff or from the highest-ranked teams that did not qualify from the continental confederation itself.

She added: “This formula gives the International Federation flexibility in determining the appropriate alternative according to the qualifying conditions specific to each continent.”

She continued: “In light of this rule, several potential options emerge to compensate for Iran’s absence, as one of the proposed scenarios is to grant the participation card directly to the team that came behind Iran in the Asian qualifiers, such as the UAE team, especially since it was close to reaching the final stage before losing a decisive confrontation to Iraq in the qualifying round for the continental playoff.”

She added: “Another scenario is also proposed, which stipulates that Iraq is given the seat directly in the event of Iran’s withdrawal, while the UAE continues to participate in the continental playoff scheduled to be held at a later time, which brings together teams from different continents to compete for the last qualifying cards to the World Cup.”

She continued: “On the other hand, the option of amending the group system itself remains a theoretical possibility, by establishing a group that includes only three teams instead of four, so that Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand compete among themselves. However, this scenario raises great complications, especially with the new tournament system that allows the best third-placed teams to qualify for the knockout rounds.”

She added: “As the tournament approaches, the issue of resolving Iran’s potential replacement seems linked to an official and final decision from the International Federation, which will ultimately rely on the texts of its regulations for alternative teams, to ensure the integrity of the tournament’s competitive system is preserved.”

The 2026 World Cup is facing the possibility of an unprecedented organizational crisis after Iran announced that it does not intend to participate in the tournament despite officially qualifying, which puts FIFA before a legal and regulatory challenge to find an alternative before the start of the scheduled competitions in America, Canada and Mexico.

The Iranian national team had reserved its place in the finals after topping its group in the Asian qualifiers, but it announced a position of refusal to participate against the backdrop of the current regional circumstances in the region, which prompted the International Federation to study the available scenarios to compensate for its possible absence from the tournament, as it was scheduled to be in a group that included Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand.