FIFA Did Not Suspend Iran From 2022 World Cup
The Claim
Iran has been barred from participating in the Qatar 2022 World Cup due to its use of pepper spray against women.
News posted on
Emerging story
Since March 30, social media users have been spreading news alleging that the Iranian national football team has been barred from competing in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar due to the use of pepper spray against women.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating and found it to be baseless, as the International Football Association did not announce the suspension of the Iranian national team from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
On April 1, 2022, the FIFA World Cup draw was held in Qatar, and the Iranian team was placed in Group B alongside England and the United States.
The claim started circulating after Iranian authorities barred women from entering the sports stadium in Khorasan Province on March 29. The incident occurred during the Iran-Lebanon match, which was part of the World Cup qualifiers for 2022.
According to reports, pepper spray was used on women protesting against being barred from entering the stadium.
Human Rights Watch condemned the Iranian authorities for barring hundreds of female spectators from a World Cup qualifying match.
Following the incident, FIFA was urged to sanction Iran and expel its team from the 2022 World Cup finals for refusing to allow women to attend an international football match.
