The president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, stated this Wednesday (11) that the president of the United States, Donald Trump, promised during a conversation that he would receive Iran’s team at the 2026 World Cup without obstacles. The tournament will be played in North America.
“During our conversation, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, without a doubt, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.” The country organizes the World Cup with Mexico and Canada, the director wrote on his Instagram account.
Infantino mentioned for the first time “the situation in Iran”, without explaining whether the uncertainty regarding the team’s participation in the World Cup (from June 11 to July 19) was motivated by the American and Israeli attacks on February 28 against the country, which triggered a war in the Middle East.
A few hours after the start of the offensive, the president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, mentioned the possibility of a boycott of the competition, but explained that the final word would be with the country’s sports authorities.
Analysts also mentioned the possibility that the United States government would refuse to host the Iranians for security reasons, as Iran’s three group stage matches are scheduled for major cities such as Los Angeles and Seattle.
“We all need, more than ever, an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together, and I sincerely thank the President of the United States for his support, as it demonstrates once again that football unites the world,” insisted Infantino.
The FIFA president regularly demonstrates his closeness to the American president. Last year, Infantino presented Trump with a “FIFA Peace Award”, the criteria for which were never revealed.
