FIFA President breaks silence on whether Iran's World Cup matches will be shifted from the US

Here's what the FIFA President Gianni Infantino had to say about the upcoming World Cup and whether Iran's matches will be shifted out of the US.

Updated on: Mar 20, 2026, 06:33:45 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that the upcoming World Cup in Mexico, the USA and Canada would go as planned and there would be no changes to the schedule. He also stated that all teams will participate. His comment came amid the doubts over Iran's participation, considering the ongoing war with the US and Israel. Earlier this week, Iran Football Federation chief Mehdi Taj said the country was in “negotiations” with the world body and was seeking to have its Group G World Cup matches shifted from the USA to Mexico.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino gestures. (AFP)

"FIFA is looking forward to all teams participating at the World Cup to compete in a spirit of fair play and mutual respect," Infantino said from Zurich during an online FIFA Council meeting, as reported by news agency AFP.

“We have a schedule. We will soon have the 48 competing teams confirmed, and we want the World Cup to go ahead as scheduled,” he added.

According to the FIFA World Cup schedule, Iran are set to play all three group stage matches in the United States. The matches against New Zealand and Belgium are slated for Los Angeles, while the contest against Egypt is scheduled for Seattle.

"FIFA can't solve geopolitical conflicts, but we are committed to using the power of football and the World Cup to build bridges and promote peace as our thoughts are with those who are suffering as a consequence of the ongoing wars," added Infantino.

Earlier, Mehdi Taj had said that due to the attacks launched by the USA and Israel on Iran, he wanted the matches moved out of the US to either one of the other host nations - Canada or Mexico.

"We will be preparing for the World Cup. We will boycott the United States but not the World Cup," Taj said in the video released on Wednesday.

He also said that the Iran Football Federation had already opened talks with FIFA about potentially relocating its matches.

On the other hand, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had said that her country is prepared to host Iran's first-round matches if required.

The FIFA World Cup is scheduled to be played from June 11 to July 19. There will be 48 teams in the group stage, divided into 12 groups of 4.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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