Iran: FIFA rules on World Cup withdrawals and replacements | OneFootball

If the Asian team officially withdraws from the competition, it will face significant financial penalties and sporting sanctions. The vacant spot will be decided by FIFA, which must establish a decision-making criterion. Details.

The Iranian Minister of Sports stated his position clearly, saying that today “there are no conditions” for their team to participate in the North American World Cup. If they withdraw from the event, they will receive significant financial penalties and severe sanctions from FIFA, as outlined in the regulations.

Article 6.2 of the regulations states that if a team/federation announces its withdrawal more than 30 days before the start of the Cup, the Disciplinary Committee will impose a fine of at least 250,000 Swiss francs (USD 323,730.60) on the federation.

If they withdraw in the last 30 days, the situation worsens. “If a participating federation withdraws from the World Cup within the 30 days prior to the first match of the final phase, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee will impose a fine of at least €550,000.”

Additionally, the withdrawing federation must reimburse all funds received from FIFA for the preparation of their team, as well as any competition-related payments received from the International Federation.

The FIFA Council, meeting in Doha on December 17, agreed to give USD 1.5 million to each qualified team to cover expenses related to tournament preparation and a total of USD 10.5 million for participating in the World Cup.

Furthermore, regarding disciplinary sanctions, the regulations state: “These disciplinary sanctions may include the exclusion of the participating federation in question from a future FIFA competition or the replacement of the participating federation by another. The FIFA Council or the relevant committee may decide, in particular, to replace said federation with another.”

If Iran definitively withdraws from the World Cup, who would replace them?

Section 6.7 of the regulations specifies that “if a participating federation withdraws or is excluded from the World Cup, FIFA may decide, in particular, to replace said federation with another.”

If Iran confirms its withdrawal from the World Cup, another federation or team from Asia should take its place, although FIFA will make the final decision. A criterion for the decision must be established, as the regulations do not clearly state who would fill the vacant spot, and it is not transitive in nature.

If the federation leans towards the choice of “sporting merit,” Iraq (currently participating in the playoffs) would qualify directly for the World Cup. Meanwhile, the playoff spot would be taken by the United Arab Emirates, although this will depend on the decision and stance taken by the international federation.

How FIFA handled the situation with León of Mexico in the Club World Cup

The last precedent FIFA had of something similar was the recent Club World Cup when León, a Mexican team, was excluded for sharing co-ownership with Pachuca, and their spot was determined in a match between Los Angeles FC and América, which the MLS team won.

At that time, sporting merit was used between the last runner-up of the Concachampions and the number one in the Concacaf club ranking (until 2024).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.