FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom will meet Iranian FA (FFIRI) officials in Istanbul on Saturday and offer “reassurance” over Iran’s participation in the World Cup, a source familiar with the talks has said. Reuters.
Iran is scheduled to play all three World Cup group matches in the United States, but the team’s participation in the June 11-July 19 tournament has been in question since the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February.
More questions arose after FFIRI president Mehdi Taj was denied entry into Canada for the FIFA Congress in Vancouver earlier this month due to his ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Both the US and Canada, which are co-hosting the World Cup with Mexico, classify the IRGC as a «terrorist entity» and have made it clear they will not admit people linked to the military elite.
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, said in a social media post this week that FIFA’s job was to ensure that all teams and their delegations could reach the host countries.
“The Iranian national football team has earned the right to participate on the field in accordance with FIFA rules,” he wrote.
«Any obstacle to the entry of players, coaching staff, federation officials or essential members of the Iranian delegation would be contrary to the spirit and purpose of the World Cup. 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 source said FIFA was working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure that all teams at the World Cup could compete in a safe environment.
US President Donald Trump said two weeks ago that he was «okay» with Iran playing in the World Cup, despite the conflict between the countries caused by air strikes on the Islamic Republic.
Iran had asked to transfer its World Cup matches to Mexico, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino is insisting that all matches be played at the originally planned venue.
The Iranian national team will leave Tehran on Monday for a training camp in Turkey before heading to its US base at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, in early June.
Iran is scheduled to start its World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.
Published on May 16, 2026
