Iran’s World Cup participation depends on relocation from US, minister says
Iran awaits FIFA’s response after requesting relocation of its games to Mexico amid the US-Israeli war.
Iran’s sports minister says his country’s participation in the upcoming World Cup will be uncertain unless FIFA relocates its matches from the United States to Mexico. The Iranian Football Federation (IFF) requested the sport’s global governing body move its fixtures but has yet to receive a response, Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali said on Sunday. “If [our request to FIFA] is accepted, Iran’s participation in the World Cup will be certain,” Donyamali told Turkiye’s Anadolu news agency.
Israel and the US, which is cohosting the tournament in June and July with Canada and Mexico, began attacking Iran on February 28, sparking a regionwide conflict in the Middle East. Tehran responded to US and Israeli strikes by launching waves of missiles and drones at Israel, several military bases in the Middle East where US forces operate and infrastructure in the Gulf. Iran, the first team to qualify for the World Cup from Asia, is scheduled to play all its group matches on the US West Coast.
Within two weeks of the start of the war, US President Donald Trump said Iran was welcome to come to his country for its matches but added: “I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety. ” In response to Trump’s comments, Iran’s football team said in a post on social media that “no one can exclude Iran’s national team from the World Cup. ” Iranian football chief Mehdi Taj followed up by saying: “When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America.
” “We are currently negotiating with FIFA to hold Iran’s matches in the World Cup in Mexico ,” Taj said. However, days later, FIFA rejected Iran’s request by saying all World Cup matches will take place per the schedule announced last year, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed a relocation is off the cards. “The matches will be played where they are supposed to be, according to the draw,” Infantino said after a meeting with IFF Vice President Mehdi Mohammad Nabi on Tuesday.