Due to lack of security and visa problems, the Iranian Football Federation requested to move its matches to the Aztec country, however, the international body opposed
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Less than three months before the start of the 2026 World Cup, the Iranian Football Federationformally requested FIFA to modify the venue of its matches and move them to Mexico, instead of playing them in States United as originally planned, but was rejected.
The request responds to security and operational issues in the midst of the escalating conflict in the Middle East. As explained by the federation's boss, Mehdi Taj, the national team will not travel to U.S. territory under current conditions. “Once Trump explicitly stated that he cannot guarantee the safety of the Iranian national team, we will not travel to the United States. We are negotiating with FIFA so that Iran's World Cup matches are played in Mexico,”
he said. The post of the Iranian embassy in Mexico
From Tehran, they argue that there are no minimum guarantees to compete on U.S. soil, both because of political tension and because of possible inconveniences in the issuance of visas and
equipment logistics.
At the same time, the Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, acknowledged that Iran could play in her country. “They're seeing it with FIFA. If it's feasible, why would they go to the United States, if they can hold the tournament here in Mexico. It is being seen and in due course we would inform you. Mexico, because it has a relationship with all the countries in the world, so we are going to see what FIFA establishes and from there it would be informed,” he said
. Sheinbaum acknowledged that Iran could play in Mexico
However, hours after making its request published, FIFA itself spoke out about it and rejected any kind of change. “FIFAmaintains regular contact with all participating federations, including theIranian Football Federation, to discuss the planning of theFIFA World Cup 2026. FIFA expects all participating teams to compete according to theannounced match schedule,” the international body announced.
In sports, the team led by Amir Ghalenoei is part of Group G together with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand. According to the original schedule, he was due to debut on June 15 in Los Angeles against the Oceanians, play again on the 21st in the same city against the Europeans and close the phase on the 26th in Seattle against the Africans
.
The possible change of venue would force a reorganization of the event's logistics. Meanwhile, a response is expected in the next few hours from FIFA, which must define whether or not to accept the request in a context marked by political tensions and security concerns
