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FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Wednesday that Iran will “for sure” play in the World Cup this summer despite the ongoing war involving the United States.
The conflict in the Middle East raised the question of whether Iran, which has qualified for the World Cup that begins in June in the United States, Mexico and Canada, would still participate under the circumstances.
All three of Iran’s group stage matches are scheduled to be played in the U.S. That remains the case after Iranian government officials suggested to FIFA that their games be moved to Mexico because they could not travel to the U.S.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during the Semafor 2026 World Economy conference in Washington, DC, on April 15, 2026. (Kent Nishimura/AFP)
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum revealed FIFA’s rejection of Iran’s request, and insists that Iran play where it is scheduled: SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, and Lumen Field in Seattle.
According to Infantino, Iran will follow the original schedule.
TRUMP SAYS IRAN’S PARTICIPATION IN WORLD CUP MAY NOT BE ‘APPROPRIATE’, WHILE ADDING MEN’S TEAM IS STILL ‘WELCOME’
“The Iranian team will come, for sure,” Infantino said during CNBC’s Invest in America Forum on Tuesday in Washington, DC.
“We hope that, of course, by then the situation will be peaceful. That would definitely help. But Iran has to come, of course. They represent their people. They have qualified. The players want to play.”
Infantino visited the Iranian team in Türkiye, where they have their training camp.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends an international friendly between Mexico and Portugal at the 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. They will also play 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 COMPETE’ IN WORLD CUP IN USA AMID MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT
President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post last month that Iran would be welcome to compete in the World Cup as scheduled, although it might not be “appropriate” considering the conflict.
“The Iranian national soccer 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 FIFA World Cup 2026 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 maintains a strong relationship with Trump, said Trump has “reiterated” to him that the United States welcomes Iran’s team to compete.
