FIFA President: Iran 'Certain' to Participate in This Summer's World Cup

Washington (Reuters) - International Football Federation (FIFA) President Gianni Infantino today confirmed that Iran 'will certainly' participate in the 2026 World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, despite the ongoing Middle East conflict. Speaking at an economic conference hosted by CNBC, Infantino stated, 'Iran will certainly compete. We hope the situation will have returned to peace by then, which would be for the best.' Regarding the Iranian team's matches in the US in June, Infantino said, 'Iran must come, they represent their people, they have qualified, and the players want to play.' According to AFP, although former US President Trump had previously hinted that Iranian players might not be 'safe' in the US, Infantino had already stated in March at a friendly match between Iran and Costa Rica in Turkey that Iran would participate in this summer's World Cup as scheduled. Iran is drawn in Group G for this World Cup, with two of their three group stage matches taking place in Los Angeles and one in Seattle. The team's accommodation and training during the tournament will be in Tucson, Arizona. The uncertainty surrounding Iran's participation in the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, arose after the US and Israel launched operations against Iran on February 28. Iran had at one point suggested a possible 'boycott' of the tournament and later requested FIFA to move their match venues from the US to Mexico, but FIFA rejected this. Although the US and Iran reached a two-week ceasefire on April 7, Tehran continues to control the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, and the US has imposed blockades on vessels traveling to and from Iranian ports since the 13th. Infantino stated today, 'Politics is politics, sports is sports. If no one believes in building bridges and maintaining them, then it is our job to do so.' The 2026 World Cup will commence on June 11 and will be the first tournament with an expanded field of 48 teams. (Compiled by Chen Yih-wei) 1150416