Iran Will Not Boycott FIFA World Cup, But Will Refuse to Play in US – Football Federation Chief

(SeaPRwire) –   The head of the nation’s football federation states the squad will aim to have its group stage games played in Mexico as an alternative

Iran plans to participate in the upcoming FIFA World Cup this summer, but only under the condition that its fixtures are relocated from the United States to Mexico, according to the country’s football federation chief. This declaration coincides with the ongoing military offensive by the US and Israel against Iran, which has entered its fourth week.

The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to be hosted in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Iran is slated to face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and 21, respectively, and then play Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

Nevertheless, Mehdi Taj, the president of the Iranian Football Federation, declared in a video published on Wednesday that Iran will not compete in the US. “We will boycott the United States but not the World Cup,” he stated, noting that the federation has initiated discussions with FIFA to transfer the matches to Mexico.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has indicated a willingness to host Iran’s games, remarking this week that “Mexico maintains diplomatic relations with every country in the world, therefore we will wait to see what FIFA decides.”

Conversely, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday that the governing body intends for the event to “go ahead as scheduled,” and is not inclined to approve Iran’s appeal to relocate its matches.

Last week, Infantino mentioned that US President Donald Trump had given him assurances that the Iranian team would be “welcome” at the tournament. However, Trump later advised that the Iranian team should not come to the US “for their own life and safety,” implying that their security could not be assured.

This dispute comes after an unrelated event earlier this month involving Iranian women footballers in Australia, where, according to footage from Iranian state media, a man driving a utility truck adorned with Australian flags and symbols opposing the Iranian government targeted the team’s bus, striking it several times.

Taj has pointed to Trump’s comments as the justification for declining to play in the United States, asserting that when the president “has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America.”