Infantino: Iran Will Play World Cup 2026 Matches in U.S. as Scheduled
Iran missed the FIFA Congress in Vancouver after a dispute with Canadian border officials. The team opens its World Cup vs New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.
Canada called IRGC officials “inadmissible” after FFIRI president Mehdi Taj left the country. Infantino says Iran will be based in Tucson, Arizona for the tournament...
Speaking Thursday at FIFA’s summit in Vancouver, President Gianni Infantino reaffirmed that Iran will play its World Cup matches in the United States as scheduled.
Iran’s place at this year’s tournament across Canada, Mexico and the United States has been uncertain since war broke out in the Middle East in February after strikes by the United States and Israel.
Infantino, who has consistently said Iran will be at the World Cup, reinforced that position as he opened his address to delegates in Vancouver.
“Let me start by confirming straightaway that of course Iran will be participating at the FIFA World Cup 2026,” Infantino said.
“And of course, Iran will play in the United States of America.”
Iranian officials had suggested moving their group-stage matches from the U.S. to Mexico, but Infantino had already rejected that idea.
In another twist last week, Italy-born U.S. special envoy Paolo Zampolli was reported to have raised the possibility of Italy taking Iran’s World Cup spot.
The U.S. government later distanced itself from the proposal, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying Iran’s players would be welcome.
But tensions over Iran’s World Cup participation spilled into the lead-up to Thursday’s FIFA Congress.
Iran was the lone absentee from the 211-member congress when Thursday’s meeting began, following a dispute with Canadian border officials earlier this week.
Officials from the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) abruptly left Canada after landing in Toronto, canceling their onward trip to Vancouver.
Iranian media reported that FFIRI president Mehdi Taj, a former member of Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and two colleagues flew home after being “insulted” by Canadian immigration officers.
Canada, which listed the IRGC as a terrorist organization in 2024, said Wednesday that individuals tied to the group are “inadmissible.”
“While we cannot comment on individual cases due to privacy laws, the government has been clear and consistent: IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada and have no place in our country,” Canada’s immigration agency said in a statement.
Iran, set to be based in Tucson, Arizona during the World Cup, will face New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in Group G.
The Iranians begin their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.
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