The entity’s secretary general meets with Iranian officials to offer guarantees about the presence of athletes from the Persian country in the tournament
A (Iranian Football Federation) will meet with the general secretary of the , Mattias Grafstrom, this Saturday (May 16, 2026), in Istanbul. The meeting aims to discuss Iran’s participation in the World Cup, which will take place from June 11th to July 19th. According to information from the agency, FIFA will seek to offer “guarantees” about the Iranian presence in the tournament.
Iran’s national team has 3 group stage matches scheduled in the United States. The team’s participation in the tournament has been in doubt since the US and Israeli attacks on Iran in late February 2026.
The situation worsened in early May, during the FIFA Congress in Vancouver. Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian Federation, was denied entry to Canada. The refusal was due to Taj’s links with the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps). The United States and Canada, which co-organize the World Cup with Mexico, classify the IRGC as “terrorist entity”. The countries have established that they will not allow the entry of people with links to this elite military force.
Iran requested that its World Cup matches be moved to Mexico. FIFA president Gianni Infantino insists that all games be played in the originally planned stadiums.
The Iranian team will leave Tehran on Monday (May 18, 2026) for a training period in Türkiye. In early June, the team will head to their base in the United States. Iran will establish its preparation at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona.
Iran’s World Cup debut is scheduled for June 15, against New Zealand, in Los Angeles.
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, said in a social media post this week that it was FIFA’s obligation to ensure that all teams and their delegations could enter host countries. “The Iranian national football team has won the right to participate on the field in accordance with FIFA regulations”these.
The deputy minister also said: “If the organizing body cannot guarantee that all qualified teams, including Iran, can enter the host country without discrimination or restriction and compete on equal terms, the credibility of the World Cup itself will be damaged.”
The President of the United States, Donald Trump (Republican Party), stated on April 30 that “didn’t see a problem” in Iran’s participation in the World Cup. The declaration came despite the conflict between the countries, triggered by air strikes against the Islamic Republic.
