FIFA President Gianni Infantino has confirmed that Iran’s national football team will play its group matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the United States as per the original schedule.
Infantino made the remarks while speaking to a news agency after meeting Iran’s national team, head coach, and a senior official of the Iranian Football Federation in Türkiye, where the team is currently present for a friendly match against Costa Rica.
Iran has already qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, starting from June 11.
Iran’s matches are scheduled to be held in the US, with their opening group game set for June 15 in Los Angeles against New Zealand, followed by fixtures against Belgium on June 21 and Egypt on June 27.
Earlier, the Iranian Football Federation had indicated it was in talks with FIFA to shift matches to Mexico due to the ongoing conflict involving the U.S. and Israel.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump had also questioned the appropriateness of Iran playing in the U.S. under current circumstances. Iran, however, firmly responded that no one could prevent its national team from participating in the World Cup.
Following his meeting with the squad, Infantino clarified that all matches would proceed at the originally designated venues.
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“Iran will be at the World Cup, and the matches will be played where they are scheduled,” he said, adding that everything appeared to be in order after discussions with the team and officials.
In a social media post, Infantino shared photos of his meeting with the players and praised the team for qualifying for the World Cup.
He commended them for making millions proud and emphasized the responsibility of representing a nation on the global stage.
He further highlighted that football can inspire unity and hope even in difficult times, assuring FIFA’s full support to ensure the Iranian team prepares under the best possible conditions and continues to spread a positive message of solidarity worldwide.
