Has FIFA Sold Iran’s World Cup Slot To Nigeria?
On March 13, 2026, an X user, @BlessingGives, claimed that Iran hopes to drop out of the world cup, making the football governing body, FIFA, open their slot for sale to the highest bidder, with Nigeria leading the race in buying the slot. The post, which has an image of the Super Eagles players and an Iranian flag, is captioned, “‼️🚨 | 𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐄: Iran dropping out of the World Cup “FIFA has decided in selling the Iran slot to the highest bidder, it’s going for $20 million after Iran dropped out” “Sources indicate that Nigeria(super eagles) is seen to be leading the race to….𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚”
When this report was published, the post had over 54, 300 views and about 360 replies, reposts, quotes, likes and bookmarks. In the comment section, @Wischild542 said “No wahala na, how much dem want go make for there wey dem go buy slot for $20 million?”
VERIFICATION
Iran national football team qualified through the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifiers, which had multiple rounds. In the Early qualifying rounds, Iran entered the second round of AFC qualification, recording dominant wins over teams like Turkmenistan and Hong Kong. Iran progressed to the third round, where stronger Asian teams competed. They finished 1st in Group A, ahead of teams like Uzbekistan and the UAE. In this stage, the top two teams automatically qualified for the World Cup. At the official FIFA draw, Iran was placed in Group G, alongside Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand.
Following the recent war with the U.S. and Israel, Iran’s sports minister has suggested that the country might not participate, but this is not a confirmed withdrawal. The Asian Football Confederation said it has received no official notification of withdrawal. Iran’s football federation has even reaffirmed its intention to compete.
There is no rule or precedent where FIFA sells tournament slots to countries. If a team withdraws, FIFA chooses a replacement based on sporting and confederation rules, not money.
If Iran withdraws, the replacement would likely be another Asian team in the same qualifying region. Countries like Iraq or the UAE are the leading candidates, not Nigeria.
There are no credible reports from FIFA or reputable media confirming any sale of a World Cup slot for 20 million dollars, bidding process or Nigeria being considered as a buyer.
CONCLUSION
The claim that Iran hopes to drop out of the world cup, with Nigeria buying over the slot, is MISLEADING. Despite the Iranian minister suggesting that his country might withdraw from the world cup, the Asian Football Confederation said it has received no official notification of withdrawal. Besides, there is no rule or precedent where FIFA sells tournament slots to countries, nor Nigeria being considered as a buyer.
