The Iranian national soccer team is actively training for the World Cup finals and has no plans to withdraw from the tournament, even though they will not be traveling to the United States, stated soccer chief Mehdi Taj on Wednesday.
Having been one of the early nations to secure a spot in the finals, Iran’s participation has been uncertain since tensions escalated between the Islamic Republic and the United States in late February.
The tournament is set to take place from June 11 to July 19 across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
-
Iran seeks to relocate its World Cup matches to Mexico from the U.S., but FIFA maintains the original schedule
-
Iran’s soccer team responds to Trump’s remarks, asserting that ‘no one can exclude’ them from the World Cup
Team Melli is set to compete in all three of their group stage matches in the U.S., but Taj announced on Monday that the Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) is in discussions with FIFA to relocate these matches to Mexico.
Iran is scheduled to face Nigeria on March 27 and Costa Rica four days later in Antalya as part of a four-nation invitational tournament that was moved from Jordan due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“The national team is currently in a training camp in Turkey, where we will also participate in two friendly matches,” FFIRI President Taj remarked to the Fars News Agency on Wednesday. “We will boycott the U.S., but not the World Cup.”
With less than 100 days until kickoff, the World Cup is confronting a geopolitical crisis. The United States is bombarding Iran, yet Iran’s soccer team is still set to compete on American soil. As CBC’s Laurence Watt reports, FIFA is monitoring the situation, but some teams are beginning to doubt that the World Cup will proceed without complications.
On Wednesday, Taj made these comments while he greeted the players from the women’s national team as they returned to Iran at the border from Turkey following their long journey from Australia.
Women’s team offered asylum
The entire delegation, who attended the Women’s Asian Cup in Australia, was provided asylum by the host country due to concerns for their safety upon returning to Iran. Of those, seven accepted the offer, but only two chose to remain.
U.S. President Donald Trump had urged Australia to grant asylum to the players and later expressed that while Iranian men could play in the U.S., it may not be suitable for their “life and safety.”
Although Trump emphasized that any threats to the players would not originate from the United States, Taj, a former member of Iran’s hardline Revolutionary Guard, used the president’s comments to advocate for a change of venue.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated on Tuesday that Mexico would be willing to host Iran’s World Cup matches against New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt in June, but ultimately, the decision on any venue change rests with FIFA.
The global governing body of soccer stated that it is in communication with FFIRI and is “looking forward to all participating teams competing as per the match schedule announced on December 6, 2025.”
Beau Busch, the Asia-Pacific president of the football players’ union FIFPRO, asserted that FIFA has a responsibility to ensure the safety of all individuals involved in the World Cup.
“FIFA must uphold its institutional obligation to protect human rights,” the Australian told Reuters.
“It is essential that FIFA conduct a thorough human rights impact assessment to ensure that every participant at the World Cup, including all players and fans, can be safe, and that any risks are properly identified and addressed.”
