Iran will continue preparations for the 2026 World Cup but will not play in the US, soccer chief says

Iran’s national team continues to prepare for the World Cup finals and has no plans to withdraw from the tournament even if it does not travel to the United States, football chief Mehdi Taj said on Wednesday.

Iran was one of the first countries to qualify for the finals, but its participation has been in doubt since the conflict between the Islamic Republic and the United States began in late February.

The tournament runs from June 11 to July 19 and will be held in the US, Mexico and Canada.

Team Melli was due to play all three opening round group matches in the US, but Taj said on Monday that the Iranian FA (FFIRI) was negotiating with FIFA to let them move to Mexico.

Iran will play Nigeria on March 27 and Costa Rica four days later in Antalya as part of a four-nation invitational tournament that had to be moved from Jordan due to the conflict in West Asia.

“The national team is holding a training camp in Turkey and we will also play two friendly matches there,” FFIRI president Taj told the newspaper. Fars News Agency on Wednesday. “We will boycott America, but we will not boycott the World Cup.”

Taj spoke on Wednesday as he welcomed the women’s national team players back to Iran at the border crossing from Turkey after their lengthy journey from Australia.

The entire delegation, which was in Australia for the Women’s Asian Cup, was offered asylum by the host country due to fears for their safety in Iran. While seven accepted, only two ultimately stayed.

US President Donald Trump had urged Australia to offer the players asylum, later saying that while the Iranian men were welcome to play in the US, it may not be appropriate for their «lives and safety».

Trump later emphasized that any threat to the players would not come from the United States, but Taj – a former member of Iran’s hardline Revolutionary Guard – used the president’s statement as a reason to demand the change of venue. Lihat juga msdi. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Tuesday that her country would be open to hosting Iran’s World Cup matches against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in June, but that the final say on any venue change would rest with FIFA.

Football’s world governing body said it was in contact with FFIRI but «looked forward to all participating teams competing according to the fixture schedule announced on December 6, 2025».

Published on March 19, 2026