FIFA president confirms Iran will play 2026 World Cup games in United States

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said that Iran will participate in the 2026 World Cup in the United States as scheduled.

Infantino addressed the FIFA Congress in Vancouver on Thursday, April 30 amid continuing questions over Iran, which has been engaged in an armed conflict with the U.S. and Israel since late February.

But at the start of his speech at FIFA's annual meeting, Infantino said that Iran would be present among the 48 teams at the World Cup in North America.

“Let me start at the outset confirming, straight away, for those who want to say something else or write something else, that of course Iran will be participating at the FIFA World Cup 2026. And of course Iran will play in the United States of America,” Infantino said.

The second part of Infantino's proclamation was meaningful, following Iran's request to move its World Cup matches from the United States to Mexico.

“The reason for that is very simple,” Infantino said on Thursday. “Dear friends, it’s because we have to unite, we have to bring people together. It is my responsibility, it is our responsibility – football unites the world, FIFA unites the world, you unite the world, we unite the world.”

Earlier this month, Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum revealed that FIFA rejected Iran's request to move the team's games to Mexico.

Iran is scheduled to play New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

Will Iran play in the World Cup?

During a roll call before Infantino's speech on Thursday, Iran was the only nation out of FIFA's 211 member associations to be absent.

Earlier this week, Iran Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) president Mehdi Taj was denied entry to Canada for FIFA's annual meeting, reportedly due to his previous service in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Infantino made a similar proclamation earlier this month, saying: "The Iranian team is coming [to the World Cup], for sure," at the Invest in America Forum.

"We hope that by then of course the situation will be a peaceful situation," he added. "That would definitely help. But Iran has to come."

Though Iran has previously indicated that it may withdraw, last week a government spokeswoman said Team Melli is "fully prepared" to play at the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.