FIFA’s Gianni Infantino confirms Iran will play All Whites at 2026 World Cup
Iran players pose before their 2026 Fifa World Cup Asian qualifiers game against Uzbekistan. Photo / Getty Images
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has said today that Iran will “for sure” participate in the 2026 World Cup despite the Middle East war.
The All Whites are set to open their first World Cup campaign since 2010 against Iran on June 16 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
The teams were put in Group G at the Fifa World Cup draw in December, the same event where Fifa awarded United States President Donald Trump its inaugural peace prize. The US is co-hosting the World Cup with Canada and Mexico.
“Iran is coming for sure. We hope that by then the situation will be a peaceful situation, that would definitely help,” Infantino said on broadcaster CNBC.
“But Iran has to come, they represent their people, they have qualified, the players want to play,” he said of the team’s matches scheduled in the US in June.
Iran’s participation in the global tournament had been thrown into doubt by the war with the US and Israel that broke out on February 28.
“Sports should be outside of politics,” Infantino said.
“If there’s nobody else that believes in building bridges and keeping them intact and together, we are doing the job,” he continued.
The World Cup, starts on June 11.