Iran bans sports teams from attending games in 'hostile' countries

Iran on Thursday announced a ban on sending sports teams to events in countries considered “hostile”, ahead of a scheduled game between an Iranian and an Emirati club in Saudi Arabia.

It comes nearly a month after US-Israeli attacks on Iran sparked the Middle East war on February 28.

The Iranian ministry of sports and youth announced that “the presence of national and club teams in countries that are considered hostile and are unable to ensure the security of Iranian athletes and team members is prohibited until further notice”, according to a statement carried by the ISNA news agency.

It cited “the publication of some news about the confrontation of the Tractor team against a team from the Emirates in Saudi Arabia” in the AFC Champions League as the reason behind the ban.

“The Football Federation and clubs will be obliged to notify the Asian Football Confederation of this matter in order to relocate the games,” it added.

The move comes months before the 2026 World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada in June.

Iran have qualified for the tournament, and their matches against New  Zealand, Belgium and Egypt were scheduled to be played in the United States.

In a high-profile incident this month, six players and a staff member of the Iranian women’s football team had sought asylum in Australia, after refusing to sing the national anthem during the Asian Cup.

This has prompted Tehran to brand them “traitors”.

Five later reversed their decision and returned to Iran, while two remain in Australia.