Gianni Infantino confirms Iran at the 2026 World Cup in the United States

Unless there is a last-minute boycott, the Iran national team will indeed play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and it will take place in the United States, dismissing once again the possibility of hosting their matches in Mexico as requested. This confirmation came from Gianni Infantino at the FIFA Congress in Vancouver. However, Iranian members confirmed their protest following the issues they faced at immigration upon entering Canada.

Gianni Infantino confirms Iran's participation in the World Cup

It took nearly half an hour for Mattias Grafstrom, Secretary General of FIFA, to call the roll of the 211 federations, and one notable absence was Iran. This was due to the "inappropriate behavior of immigration officials at Toronto airport," which did not sit well. This had been previously reported by the Tasnim news agency and was confirmed during the FIFA Congress in Canada. The Iranian delegation, comprising federation president Mehdi Taj, Secretary General Hedayat Mombeini, and deputy Hamed Momeni, faced visa issues for the congress, leading them to boycott the event.

Iran's presence in the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Despite Iran's dissatisfaction with the treatment, their participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup raises doubts. Gianni Infantino confirmed that they will indeed take part, with the matches in the United States. Infantino's first statement in his address was, "Iran is going to play in the World Cup. And of course, they will play in the USA. The reason is simple: we need to come together, unite people. Football unites us. We must always be positive." During the voting process, Infantino stated, "There are no federations suspended," but Iran's presence at the World Cup was uncertain. The option of playing in Mexico was considered and rejected by FIFA, while Trump urged them not to attend the tournament for their safety.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Gianni Infantino confirma a Irán en la Copa del Mundo 2026 en Estados Unidos