Fifa president Gianni Infantino has indicated that the location of Iran’s matches at the 2026 World Cup will not be changed following recent strikes in the region.
The Iranian football federation has stated that Iran will not play its group stage matches in the United States, with federation president Mehdi Taj confirming they are in talks with Fifa to move their games to co-host Mexico.
Iran is currently scheduled to play all three of its group matches in the US, opening against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15. However, Donald Trump previously said it would not be “appropriate” for them to play in the US “for their own life and safety”.
Infantino, without directly addressing Iran’s situation, reiterated Fifa’s position of “all participating teams competing as per the match schedule announced” after the World Cup draw in December.
“Fifa can’t solve geopolitical conflicts, but we are committed to using the power of football and the World Cup to build bridges and promote peace as our thoughts are with those who are suffering as a consequence of the ongoing wars,” Infantino stated.
“Fifa is looking forward to all teams participating at the to compete in a spirit of fair play and mutual respect. We have a schedule. We will soon have the 48 competing teams confirmed, and we wish the World Cup to go ahead as scheduled.”
A Fifa spokesperson confirmed earlier this week that “Fifa is in regular contact with all participating member associations, including IR Iran, to discuss planning for the World Cup 2026.”
This comes despite the Iranian football federation president’s firm stance that Iran will refuse to play its scheduled games in the US. “When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” Taj said in a post on the Iranian embassy in Mexico’s X account.
Iran is scheduled to play two World Cup games in Los Angeles and one in Seattle. Their schedule includes a June 15 match against New Zealand and a June 21 game against Belgium, both in Los Angeles, followed by a June 26 match against Egypt in Seattle.
