FIFA World Cup 2026 too big to be postponed: World Cup COO Heimo Schirgi

FIFA’s Chief Operating Officer says the tournament is «too big» to be postponed due to the global unrest caused by the US and Israeli war against Iran.

Speaking at the International Broadcast Center on Monday before the 48-nation tournament, which starts on June 11, Heimo Schirgi said FIFA continues to closely monitor the war in Iran and its consequences.

“If I had a crystal ball, I could tell you now what’s going to happen, but it’s clear the situation is evolving,” Schirgi said j6sh.

«It’s changing day by day and we’re watching it very closely. We’re working with all of our federal partners and also our international partners in evaluating the situation, and we’re basically taking it day by day, and at some point we’ll have a solution.»

«And of course the World Cup will go ahead, right? The World Cup is too big and we hope that everyone who has qualified can participate.»

The tournament, expanded from 32 countries to 48, is scheduled for 11 U.S. locations plus three in Mexico and two in Canada.

While the Trump administration has imposed a travel ban on four of the qualifying countries – Iran, Ivory Coast, Haiti and Senegal – it says it will make an exception for players, team officials and immediate family members.

Schirgi said FIFA is in constant contact with the Iranian Football Federation for updates, but he would not share details of those discussions.

FIFA officials were in Dallas to announce plans for the city’s 34-day fan festival during the World Cup and to view construction of the broadcast center at the downtown convention center — about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, where nine games will be played.

“Given the current state of the world, this will be a great opportunity to bring everyone together,” Schirgi said.

«For those who haven’t experienced the World Cup yet, the World Cup is very special because it is truly global and brings everyone together. We’ve seen that in Qatar, in Russia, everywhere. People were amazed at how international this whole thing is.»

Schirgi also addressed FIFA’s surprise decision last month to add a 48-hour window for ticket sales. FIFA has been criticized for ticket prices rising to $8,680 for category one seats – the best in the lower bowls – $5,575 for category two and $4,185 for category three. Tickets for the first round range from USD 2,735 for category one, USD 1,940 for category two and USD 1,120 for category three.

“It essentially gave fans who had signed up and weren’t having success with tickets in their category the opportunity to offer them a different category of tickets,” Schirgi said.

“So if you requested a category three ticket for a specific match and you don’t have it because we don’t have enough category three tickets, we offered those people because they signed up early. We said, instead of a category three ticket, would you like a category two ticket?”

After criticism, FIFA said in December it was selling a few hundred tickets worth $60 for each match to the 48 national federations in the tournament to sell to regular fans.

Published on March 10, 2026