The Iranian national team may not participate in the 2026 World Cup. In that case, its place will most likely be taken by another team from the Asian Football Confederation.
The most likely candidate for replacement is the Iraqi national team.
On March 31, the Iraqi team will play in the final of the intercontinental playoff against the winner of the Bolivia – Suriname matchup. If Iraq loses this match, they may receive a ticket to the World Cup instead of Iran.
However, if the Iraqi national team wins and qualifies for the tournament directly through the playoff, the next contender will be the United Arab Emirates team. The UAE previously lost to Iraq in the final of the Asian qualifiers and is next in line among AFC teams.
