New Delhi: FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Wednesday that he met United States President Donald Trump, who assured him that Iran would be “welcome” to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite concerns arising from the escalating regional conflict.
The tournament will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19.
Iran are scheduled to play three matches in the United States, though their participation had been under doubt amid the ongoing tensions in the region. Drawn in Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand, Iran will begin their campaign against New Zealand on June 15 in Seattle. Their other group-stage matches will be held in Los Angeles and Atlanta.
In a post on Instagram, Infantino said he discussed preparations for the upcoming World Cup with Trump and also raised the issue of the current situation in Iran.
“I met with the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, to discuss the status of preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup and the growing excitement as we are set to kick off in just 93 days,” Infantino wrote.
“We also spoke about the current situation in Iran and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026. During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States,” he added.
Iran secured qualification for their fourth consecutive World Cup after topping Group A in the third round of Asian qualifiers last year.
Last week, in an interview with Politico, Trump said, “I really don’t care if Iran participates,” adding that “I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes.”
Following the start of military action in the region, Iran Football Federation president Mehdi Taj reportedly said, “What is certain is that after these attacks, it’s hard to look at the World Cup with hope.”
With IANS inputs