‘Iran has to come’ to the US for the World Cup, FIFA’s Infantino says

FIFA President Gianni Infantino says Iran's football team want to participate in the World Cup [Kent Nishimura/AFP]

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is confident Iran will play in the World Cup despite the country’s sports minister stating that it cannot participate amid the war with the United States and Israel, along with President Donald ⁠Trump voicing concerns for ⁠the players’ “life and safety”.

Infantino reasserted his views on Iran’s participation on Wednesday, saying the team will travel to the US “for sure”.

While the US-Israel war on Iran is currently in the midst of a Pakistan-brokered two-week ceasefire, officials in Iran have repeatedly requested a relocation of their team’s games from the US to Mexico – two of the three host nations of the World Cup, along with Canada.

However, FIFA and its president, Infantino, have ruled out a relocation, citing logistical impediments and promising safety for the Iranian players and staff.

“The Iranian team is coming for sure, yes,” Infantino told US business news outlet CNBC.

The FIFA chief, who has a close relationship with US President Trump, said “Iran has to come” to the tournament despite the fragile ceasefire nearing its deadline on April 22.

“We hope that by then, of course, the situation will be a peaceful situation,” Infantino said of the war. “As I said, that would definitely help. But Iran has to come. Of course, they represent their people. They have qualified. The players want to play.”

Infantino said he was recently in Antalya, Turkiye, to visit with the Iranian team at its training camp and said the team wants to participate in the World Cup.

“They [Iran’s players] should play – sports should be outside of politics,” Infantino said.

“Now, OK – we don’t live on the moon, we live on ‌planet Earth, but if there is nobody else that believes in building bridges and in keeping them intact and together, well, we [FIFA] are doing that.”

Iran, one of the first teams to qualify for the World Cup, are scheduled to play all three of their group stage games on the US West Coast.

Team Melli are slated to open against New Zealand on June 15, then face Belgium on June 21, with both matches ⁠in Los Angeles. On June 26, Iran play against Egypt ⁠in Seattle.

Should they advance to the knockouts, the rest of Iran’s games would also be held in the US.