The Iranian national football team is continuing preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2026 finals and has no intention of pulling out of the tournament but does intend to "boycott" matches in the United States, football chief Mehdi Taj has insisted. Iran was one of the first nations to qualify for the finals, but its participation has been in doubt since the conflict between the Islamic Republic and the United States began in late February.
The tournament runs from June 11 to July 19 and is being co-hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada. Team Melli is scheduled to play all three of its opening-round group matches in the US, but Taj said on Monday the Iranian FA (FFIRI) was negotiating with FIFA to have them moved to Mexico. Taj stated, "The national team is holding a training camp in Turkey, and we will also play two friendly matches there. We will boycott America, but we will not boycott the World Cup."
Taj was speaking on Wednesday as he welcomed players from the women's national team back to Iran at the border crossing from Turkey after their protracted journey from Australia. All members of the delegation, who were in Australia for the Women's Asian Cup, were offered asylum by the host nation due to fears for their safety in Iran. While seven accepted, only two ended up staying. US President Donald Trump had urged Australia to offer the players asylum and later said that while the Iranian men were welcome to play in the US, it might not be appropriate for their "life and safety."
Trump later stressed any threat to the players would not come from the United States, but Taj – a former member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – used the president's statement as grounds for demanding the venue switch. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Tuesday that her country would be open to hosting Iran's World Cup matches against New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt in June, but the final say on any venue switch would be FIFA's.
Football's world governing body said it was in contact with FFIRI but was "looking forward to all participating teams competing as per the match schedule announced on 6 December 2025." Beau Busch, the Asia Pacific president of football players' union FIFPRO, said it was FIFA's duty to ensure the safety of everyone involved at the World Cup: "FIFA have an institutional responsibility to protect human rights. What's critical is that FIFA undertake a really comprehensive human rights impact assessment, and they assess to ensure that every single participant at the World Cup, every player, every fan, can be safe, and that any risks are identified and mitigated effectively."
Source: www.aljazeera.com