FIFA president says Iran will play in World Cup in the US as scheduled

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Wednesday that Iran will “definitely” participate in the World Cup this summer, despite the ongoing war involving the United States.

The conflict in the Middle East raises the question of whether Iran, qualified for the World Cup which begins in June in the United States, Mexico and Canada, would still participate given the circumstances.

All three of Iran’s group stage matches are scheduled to be played in the United States. This remains the case after Iranian government officials suggested to FIFA that their matches be moved to Mexico because they could not travel to the United States.

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FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks at the Semafor World Economy 2026 conference in Washington, DC, April 15, 2026. (Kent Nishimura/AFP)

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum revealed that FIFA had rejected Iran’s request and insisted that Iran play where it is scheduled to play: SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, and Lumen Field in Seattle.

According to Infantino, Iran is on schedule.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN’S PARTICIPATION IN WORLD CUP MAY NOT BE ‘APPROPRIATE,’ WHILE ADDING MEN’S TEAM IS STILL ‘WELCOMED’

“The Iranian team is coming, for sure,” Infantino said at the CNBC Invest in America forum Tuesday in Washington, DC.

“We of course hope that by then the situation will be peaceful. That would certainly help. But Iran has to come, of course. They represent their people. They are qualified. The players want to play.”

Infantino visited the Iranian national team in Türkiye, where its training camp is taking place.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino during an international friendly match between Mexico and Portugal at Banorte Stadium in Mexico City on March 28, 2026. (Antonio Torres/FIFA/Getty Images)

“They were doing a training camp in Antalya,” Infantino added of his trip last month to visit the team. “And they really want to play. And they should play. Sports should be out of politics.

Iran is scheduled to play at SoFi Stadium against New Zealand on June 16 to begin their tournament. He will also face Belgium at the stadium before finishing the group match against Mo Salah and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

FIFA PRESIDENT SAYS TRUMP REITERATED IRAN ‘WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE’ IN WORLD CUP IN US AMID MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT

President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social article last month that Iran would be welcome to participate in the World Cup as planned, although it might not be “appropriate” given the conflict.

“The Iranian national football team is welcome to the World Cup, but I really don’t think it is appropriate for them to be there, for their own lives and safety,” he wrote.

Mehdi Taremi of Iran celebrates after scoring a goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers Group A match against Uzbekistan at Azadi Stadium on March 25, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu)

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Trump also told Politico, “I don’t really care,” when asked about Iran’s participation in the tournament. Infantino, who has a close relationship with Trump, said Trump “reiterated” to him that the United States welcomed the Iranian team to compete.

Paulina Dedaj of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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