The proposal follows President Trump’s recent post on Truth Social, in which he wrote, “While I welcome the Iranian national soccer team to the World Cup, I truly do not believe it is appropriate for them to be there when it comes to their own lives and safety. Thank you for your consideration in this matter! President Donald J. Trump.”
It remains unclear whether President Trump was referring to the safety of Iranian athletes in Iran or the safety of Iranian athletes in the United States. Iranian Football Association President Mehdi Taj believes the US president has indicated that he cannot guarantee the safety of the players. “Now that President Trump has made it clear that he cannot guarantee the safety of the Iranian national team, we are definitely not going to America. We are negotiating with FIFA to have Iran’s World Cup matches held in Mexico,” he wrote on X.
After their request to play in Mexico was rejected, FIFA issued a further statement confirming that Iran would be welcome to play in the United States. “FIFA is in regular contact with all participating member associations, including IR Iran, to discuss plans for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. FIFA looks forward to seeing all participating teams compete according to the announced match schedule.”
Iran will play New Zealand on June 15th and Belgium on June 21st, with both games taking place in Los Angeles. The final match is scheduled for June 26th in Seattle against Egypt.
FIFA has the power to decide which country should take Iran’s place should it choose to withdraw from the competition. Iraq and the United Arab Emirates are the next highest ranked countries in the Asian Football Confederation but have yet to qualify for the tournament.
Asian Football Confederation President Windsor John also recently allayed fears of a boycott, insisting that Iran is expected to travel to the United States for the tournament. “It’s a very emotional moment. Everyone is saying different things,” he said when questioned about the matter in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
“At the end of the day, it’s the federation that decides whether they play or not, and as of today the federation has told us that they’re going to the World Cup. They’re our members and we want them to play. You know, they’ve qualified… so we’re hoping they can resolve whatever issues they have and be able to play.”
