'Fake news has gone too far!' - Brazil's Richarlison refutes claims he will boycott 2026 World Cup in U.S. due to Iran conflict

In recent days, a post first circulated by notorious X parody account Topskills Sports UK claimed that Richarlison was planning a boycott due to the conflict. The forward was alleged to have said: "I won't play the World Cup until the fight is over." However, the Spurs forward has now come out to debunk this rumour after it went viral on social media. 

In a real statement on social media, Richarlison sought to clear up the confusion.

"Just to be clear, because the fake news has gone too far: I never made that statement," he said. "Although I am against any kind of war and conflict, I never said I wouldn't play for the Brazilian national team at the World Cup. I hope everyone who shared this lie takes it back and deletes their posts."

This statement followed one from the Brazilian government, condemning the U.S.' involvement in Iran. They said: "The attacks occurred amid an ongoing negotiation process between the parties, which is the only viable path to peace - a position traditionally upheld by Brazil in the region."

Richarlison, who has used his platform to promote humanitarian causes in the past, is popular back in his native Brazil having enjoyed great success with the national team. He has scored 20 goals in 54 games for the Selecao and was part of the side that won the 2019 Copa America and took home the gold medal at the 2020 Olympics. The striker also won the World Cup Goal of the Tournament award in 2022 for his overhead kick against Serbia.

Iran have qualified to play at the 2026 World Cup, but their participation is in increasing doubt due to this latest conflict. U.S. President Donald Trump claimed earlier this week that he 'doesn't care' if Iran participate at the tournament or not.

"I really don't care [if Iran play]. I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They're running on fumes," Trump said.

Back in January, Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House World Cup Task Force, stated that security at the tournament is the country's top priority. He said: "We want this to be a safe and secure World Cup. So yeah, of course, we want the teams to be here and to play, but we also understand that most fan bases are going to come here to enjoy an incredible World Cup, to add to the experience. But it'd be foolish, in understanding what Iran is going through right now, to expect that we would just open our borders."

While Richarlison is still hoping to make Brazil's squad for this summer's tournament, one player who won't be representing the Selecao until 2027 is Rodrygo. The Real Madrid winger has sustained an ACL injury which will rule him out for around a year.

After this news was confirmed, Rodrygo wrote on social media: "One of the worst days of my life, how much I always feared this injury… maybe life has been a little cruel to me lately… I don't know if I deserve this, but what can I complain about? How many wonderful things have I experienced that I also didn't deserve.

"A major obstacle has arisen in my life, in my career, preventing me from doing what I love most for a while. I am out for the rest of the season with my club and out of the World Cup with my country, a dream that everyone knows how much it means to me. All I can do is be strong as always, which is nothing new."