Infantino made these remarks while speaking to a news agency after meeting Iran’s national team, head coach, and the vice president of the Iranian Football Federation in Turkey, where the team was present for a friendly match against Costa Rica national football team.
It is worth noting that Iran has already qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by United States, Canada, and Mexico starting from June 11. According to the schedule, all of Iran’s matches will be played in the United States. Iran will face New Zealand national football team in their opening group match on June 15 in Los Angeles, followed by matches against Belgium national football team on June 21 and Egypt national football team on June 27.
Recently, the Iranian Football Federation had stated that it was in talks with FIFA to move their matches to Mexico due to ongoing tensions involving the United States and Israel. However, after the latest meeting, Infantino made it clear that Iran will play its matches in the United States as originally scheduled, emphasizing that fixtures will remain as per the official draw.
Infantino added that he had met with the Iranian team and coaching staff, and everything was in order.
Later, in a social media post, Infantino shared pictures from his meeting with the Iranian team in Antalya ahead of their friendly against Costa Rica. He expressed his खुशी at meeting the players and officials, including the head coach and federation representatives. He also congratulated the team on qualifying for the World Cup again.
Infantino stated that football can inspire unity and hope even in difficult circumstances, and FIFA will continue to fully support the team to ensure the best possible conditions for their World Cup preparations. He added that he looks forward to seeing the team deliver a positive message of humanity and solidarity to the world.
Earlier, Donald Trump had commented that under current circumstances, it may not be appropriate for Iran to play in the United States during the World Cup. In response, Iran stated that no one can prevent its national team from participating in the tournament. Meanwhile, Iran’s sports minister had also advised players last week to avoid traveling to countries with opposing political positions.