Trump will welcome Iranian footballers at 2026 World Cup, Infantino says
President Donald Trump has assured that Iran is ‘welcome’ to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico despite the ongoing conflict between the Islamic republic and Washington, according to FIFA boss Gianni Infantino.
There were growing uncertainties across the football community about the chance of Iran playing at the tournament later in June after the United States and Israel launched a pre-emptive military campaign against Iran on February 28.
The Iranians are billed to play all their three group stage matches across different venues in the U.S.
Providing updates on preparations for the World Cup, Mr Infantino revealed that he met Mr Trump on Tuesday to discuss issues relating to the tournament, including Iran’s situation. The football chief stated Mr Trump reiterated that the Iran national team is free to compete in the World Cup.
“This evening, I met with the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump to discuss the status of preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, and the growing excitement as we are set to kick off in just 93 days. We also spoke about the current situation in Iran, and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026,” Mr Infantino said.
He added, “During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States. We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever, and I sincerely thank the President of the United States for his support, as it shows once again that Football Unites the World.”
Meanwhile, the president of the Iranian football federation, President Mehdi Taj, has not ruled out boycotting the tournament. He stated that Iran could not be hopeful in the current climate.
“What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Mr Taj told the Iranian sports outlet Varzesh3 last week after the strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran.
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