FIFA President Confident Iran Will Participate in World Cup Despite War Still Ongoing

FIFA President Gianni Infantino. (Wikimedia Commons/UNIS Vienna/Nikoleta Haffar)

JAKARTA - FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Wednesday expressed confidence that Iran will participate in the 2026 World Cup this summer, saying the team indicated their desire to play despite the ongoing conflict.

The 2026 World Cup is planned to be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Iran is known to have a 2026 World Cup match schedule in the United States, the country that attacked it in late February and caused an escalation in the Middle East.

"Iran must come, of course. They represent their people. They have qualified. The players want to play," Infantino said at the "CNBC Invest in America Forum 2026" in Washington, Anadolu (16/4) reported.

Infantino added that not long ago he visited the Iranian squad at a training camp in Antalya, southern Turkey, where the players expressed their desire to compete.

"Sports must be outside of politics," he said, acknowledging the difficult circumstances.

The United States and Israel launched an attack on Tehran and a number of other cities in Iran on February 28, killing more than 1,340 people, including the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as well as a number of senior officials and the military.

In response, Iran launched attacks on Israeli territory as well as targeting US-related targets in a number of neighboring countries in the Middle East.

Iran qualified for the tournament, which starts on June 11. Team Melli, the nickname of the Iranian national football team, is scheduled to face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and 21, and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

Iran's request to move their match to Mexico, one of the hosts, was rejected by FIFA.

The road to participation is still very uncertain. Iran's Minister of Sports said the country could not participate "under any circumstances," citing the assassination of then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a US-Israeli attack on February 28.

"This corrupt regime has killed our leaders," he said.

Previously, US President Donald Trump said in March that although the Iranian team would be welcomed at the World Cup, he did not think it was appropriate for them to attend "for their own safety and security."

FIFA President Infantino said he hoped the situation would be peaceful when the tournament starts.