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Infantino says Iran 'coming for sure' to participate in World Cup
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said, "Iran has to come, of course. They represent their people. They have qualified. The players want to play.” Getty Images FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Iran will be “coming for sure” to play in the World Cup, as the country’s participation has remained a question mark amid the U.S.-Iran war, according to Ian Thomas of CNBC.com. Infantino, speaking at CNBC’s Invest in America Forum on Tuesday in D.C., said, “We hope that by then, of course, the situation will be a peaceful situation, that would definitely help. But Iran has to come, of course. They represent their people. They have qualified. The players want to play.” Infantino said that he “recently visited with the Iranian team at its training camp” in Turkey, where the team “indicated they wanted to play.” Thomas notes Iran is scheduled to play all three of its group stage matches in the U.S. and its “request was denied” to move its team’s games to Mexico (CNBC.com, 4/15). POLITICO’s Aaron Pellish notes Infantino’s comments come after the U.S. and Iran failed to reach an agreement to end the six-week war. Whether or not Iran will actually travel to the U.S. for the World Cup “remains an open question.” President Trump said that it “wouldn’t be ‘appropriate’ for the Iranian team to attend.” Pellish notes that comment came “days after Infantino spoke with Trump and urged him to allow the Iranian team to compete.” In response, Iranian sports minister Ahmad Donyamali said, “Under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup” (POLITICO, 4/15). Sponsored content
'Iran has to come' to the US for the World Cup, FIFA's Infantino says
FIFA chief reasserts his views on Iran’s participation, saying ‘the players want to play’ in the tournament.FIFA President Gianni Infantino is confident Iran will play in the World Cup despite the country’s sports minister stating that it cannot participate amid the war with the United States and Israel, along with President Donald Trump voicing concerns for the players’ “life and safety”.Infantino reasserted his views on Iran’s participation on Wednesday, saying the team will travel to the US “for sure”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3FIFA faces pressure to call on Trump to stop ICE raids at 2026 World Cuplist 2 of 3Bosnian ball boy hailed as hero after hiding Italian goalkeeper’s noteslist 3 of 3Iran releases assets of women’s football captain who withdrew asylum pleaend of listWhile the US-Israel war on Iran is currently in the midst of a Pakistan-brokered two-week ceasefire, officials in Iran have repeatedly requested a relocation of their team’s games from the US to Mexico – two of the three host nations of the World Cup, along with Canada.However, FIFA and its president, Infantino, have ruled out a relocation, citing logistical impediments and promising safety for the Iranian players and staff.“The Iranian team is coming for sure, yes,” Infantino told US business news outlet CNBC.The FIFA chief, who has a close relationship with US President Trump, said “Iran has to come” to the tournament despite the fragile ceasefire nearing its deadline on April 22.“We hope that by then, of course, the situation will be a peaceful situation,” Infantino said of the war. “As I said, that would definitely help. But Iran has to come. Of course, they represent their people. They have qualified. The players want to play.”Infantino said he was recently in Antalya, Turkiye, to visit with the Iranian team at its training camp and said the team wants to participate in the World Cup.“They [Iran’s players] should play – sports should be outside of politics,” Infantino said.“Now, OK – we don’t live on the moon, we live on planet Earth, but if there is nobody else that believes in building bridges and in keeping them intact and together, well, we [FIFA] are doing that.”Iran, one of the first teams to qualify for the World Cup, are scheduled to play all three of their group stage games on the US West Coast.Team Melli are slated to open against New Zealand on June 15, then face Belgium on June 21, with both matches in Los Angeles. On June 26, Iran play against E...
Iran will participate in World Cup: FIFA president
Iran will take part in the 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada, FIFA president Gianni Infantino says, calling for peace and keeping sports out of politics.
FIFA chief Infantino says Iran will participate in World Cup "for sure ...
FIFA President Gianni Infantino reiterated his stance Wednesday that Iran will participate in the World Cup "for sure" despite its war with the U.S.
