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- Iran’s three group stage games are in LA and Seattle
- US president Trump had cast doubt on participation following conflict
- Infantino ‘delighted’ to have Iran in North America
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has stressed that Iran will compete at the 2026 Fifa World Cup and play their scheduled matches in the United States, despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Iran is due to play group stage matches in Los Angeles and Seattle, while it could potentially face the US in the second round if both teams finish second in the first phase.
However, the team’s participation is in serious doubt after the US and Israel began military action against Iran last month.
Infantino’s previous assertions that Iran would be able to fulfill its fixtures have been contradicted by US president Donald Trump, while the head of Iran’s soccer federation and the country’s sports minister have ruled out traveling to the US after failing in attempts to relocate matches to Mexico.
Yet, no formal withdrawal has taken place and Infantino is adamant that Iran will be among the 48 teams at the tournament this summer, having held discussions with Iranian soccer authorities ahead of the team’s friendly with Costa Rica in Turkey.
“Iran will be at the World Cup,” Infantino told AFP. “We’re delighted because they’re a very, very strong team, I’m very happy.
“The matches will be played where they are supposed to be, according to the draw.”
The Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) is now stating they would comply with whatever Fifa decides – the strongest evidence yet that the country intends to take its place at the World Cup. It also indicates that Fifa believes it can retrieve the necessary assurances from the American government, or Trump himself, or it is confident the conflict will have ended by June.
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