FIFA President Gianni Infantino has firmly stated that Iran's matches at the 2026 World Cup will be held in the United States as originally planned, dismissing a request from the Iranian football federation to relocate the games to Mexico. The Iranian federation had earlier claimed it was "negotiating" with FIFA to move the matches due to the ongoing war with the US and Israel, while Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reportedly expressed readiness to host Iran's first-round games if necessary.
Infantino emphasized that the matches will be played "where they are supposed to be, according to the draw." The World Cup, co-hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada, is set to begin on June 11, with Iran scheduled to play its first Group G match against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15. The team is then slated to face Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 27.
Iran's participation had been cast into doubt following the outbreak of war with the US and Israel on February 28. Speaking at halftime of Iran's friendly match against Costa Rica in Turkey, Infantino sought to quell concerns that Iran might not feature in the tournament at all. He told AFP: "Iran will be at the World Cup … That's why we're here," adding that the team is "very, very strong" and that he had spoken with players and the coach to ensure everything is fine.
Infantino initially alleged that US President Donald Trump had provided assurances that the Iranian team would still be welcome, but Trump later purportedly stated that Iran's team should not travel to the tournament "for their own life and safety." Iran hit back, asserting that "no one can exclude Iran's national team from the World Cup." In a statement on March 19, Infantino claimed FIFA is committed to ensuring the World Cup proceeds "as scheduled" with "all teams" participating.
The FIFA president also remarked that while FIFA "can't solve geopolitical conflicts," it is purportedly committed to "using the power of football and the World Cup to build bridges and promote peace." In a related development, Iran played a friendly against Nigeria in Belek, Turkey, last Friday, where players wore black armbands and posed with school rucksacks during the national anthem to remember victims of a strike on a primary school in Minab, southern Iran, on February 28—an incident that preliminary findings from a US military investigation reportedly attribute to a targeting mistake by a US Tomahawk cruise missile.
Source: www.aljazeera.com