Despite tensions with the United States, the president of FIFA reaffirmed the participation of Asians in the World Cup
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Once again, the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, assured that Iran will participate in the World Cup 2026 and will play its games in the United States, despite the political and military conflict involving both countries
.
During his participation in the CNBCInvest in America forum in Washington, the leader was blunt: "Iran will come, without a doubt. We hope that by then the situation will be peaceful, that would certainly help. But of course Iran must come.They qualified and the players want to come.”
Infantino also revealed that he recently visited the squad during a rally in Antalya, Turkey, where he was able to verify the team's intention to compete in the World Cup. “I went to see them two weeks ago, they were having some training sessions in Antalya. They really want to play, and they should play. Sport must exist outside of politics,” he said.
“Now, we don't live on the moon, we live on planet Earth andif there is no one else who believes in building bridges and keeping them intact and united, because we will,” warned the boss.
The presence of the Asian team had been under analysis in recent weeks due to the escalation of the conflict with the United States and Israel, which included air strikes and cross-statements between authorities. Even from Iran, participation in the tournament was questioned for security reasons.
In this context, the Iranian federation tried to negotiate with FIFA the possibility of playing its matches in Mexico, one of the co-organizing countries together with the United States and Canada. However, the order was rejected by the agency, which decided to keep the original headquarters for logistical reasons
. Iran tried to negotiate a change of venues for its matches, but FIFA rejected the request
Soon after, the president of the Aztec country, Claudia Sheinbaum, confirmed this position: “Finally, FIFA decided that the games of the original venues could not be changed. That would generate a lot of different logistics and that decision was made by FIFA
.”
The Iranian national team, who will play their fourth consecutive World Cup, will be part of Group G and is scheduled to debut on June 16against New Zealand in Los Angeles. He will then face Belgium on the 21st in the same city and will close the opening phase against Egypt on the 27th in Seattle
