Gianni Infantino ruled out a possible change of venues for Iran in the World Cup

In the midst of growing international geopolitical tension, the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, assured that the 2026 World Cup will be played according to the established schedule and appealed to football as a tool to promote peace

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The statements were made within the framework of the FIFA Council meeting in Zurich, where the budget for the 2027-2030 cycle was also approved: 14 billion dollars, with an investment of 2.7 billion for the FIFA Forward program. There, the leader referred to the conflicts in the Middle East and highlighted the role of sport in this scenario.

“FIFA cannot resolve geopolitical conflicts, but we are committed to using the power of football and the FIFA World Cup to build bridges and promote peace, since our thoughts are with those who suffer the consequences of current wars,” he said.

In that regard, he also made it clear that it is not in the plans to change the organization of the tournament, despite versions of a possible change of venues for Iran, which had considered playing its matches in Mexico for security and visa reasons

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“FIFA expects all teams participating in the FIFA World Cup to compete in a spirit of fair play and mutual respect. We have a calendar. Soon we will have the 48 participating teams confirmed, and we want the FIFA World Cup to be held as planned,” he said

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The organization had already anticipated days ago that the schedule announced in December 2025 would be maintained and that there is permanent contact with all federations to ensure the organization of the event.