Iran WILL play World Cup games in the United States, insists FIFA chief Gianni Infantino

Callum Vurley
Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:58:57 +0000

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed that Iran will compete in the World Cup with all fixtures taking place at American venues as originally planned, dismissing the nation's request to relocate matches.

Speaking to AFP during the interval of Iran's friendly against Costa Rica in Turkey on Tuesday, Infantino declared: "The matches will be played where they are supposed to be, according to the draw."

The FIFA chief expressed enthusiasm about Iran's participation, stating: "Iran will be at the World Cup. We're delighted because they're a very, very strong team, I'm very happy."

Iran secured a commanding 5-0 victory in the friendly, with Infantino present throughout.

The Iranian football federation had earlier this month revealed it was in discussions with FIFA about shifting its World Cup fixtures from the United States to Mexico, citing the ongoing conflict between the US-Israel alliance and Iran.

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum indicated her nation stood ready to accommodate Iran's group stage matches should circumstances require it.

However, Infantino firmly rejected this alternative arrangement during his visit to Turkey.

Uncertainty surrounding Iran's tournament involvement has persisted due to the geopolitical tensions, though the FIFA president insisted the original schedule would remain intact despite the diplomatic complexities.

Iran have been drawn in Group G and face a demanding schedule across two American cities.

Their opening fixture sees them take on New Zealand in Los Angeles on 15 June, four days after the tournament kicks off.

The Iranians then remain in Los Angeles for their second match against Belgium on 21 June.

Their final group stage encounter takes them to Seattle, where they will meet Egypt on 26 June.

The tournament is being jointly hosted across three nations, with the United States, Canada and Mexico all staging matches throughout the competition.

Mahdi Mohammadnabi, vice president of the Iranian Football Federation, welcomed the decision and pledged to follow FIFA's directives.

"For us, what matters most are Fifa's rules and regulations. We will comply with whatever Fifa decides," Mohammadnabi said.

He added: "Every host country has made commitments to Fifa and must honour them."

The federation official revealed that Infantino had made a detour to attend the friendly whilst travelling from Mexico to Qatar.

"Having learnt that we were organising friendly matches here, he came to see us in person, and we had a fruitful discussion," Mohammadnabi explained, noting that the FIFA president had provided valuable support to boost the squad's morale.