FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed that Iran will participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite ongoing tensions in the Middle East, stressing that football must remain separate from politics. “Iran is definitely coming. We hope that by then the situation will be peaceful and that will definitely help,” Infantino said at an economic conference hosted by CNBC on Wednesday. “But Iran has to come, they represent their people, they have qualified and the players want to play,” he added of the team’s upcoming tournament in the United States in June. Iran’s involvement faces uncertainty following a conflict between the United States and Israel earlier this year. The team even considered boycotting and demanding the game be moved out of the United States, but FIFA ultimately rejected the offer. The Asian team is scheduled to play Group G games in the United States, including two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle, with games scheduled for Tucson, Arizona.Tensions escalated after the February 28 clashes, followed by weeks of airstrikes and retaliatory operations. Although a fragile truce came into effect on April 8, geopolitical tensions remain, including restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz and U.S. maritime measures against Iranian ports.Infantino made similar remarks in March when he attended a friendly match between Iran and Costa Rica in Antalya, Turkey, despite US President Donald Trump previously suggesting that Iranian players may not be “safe” in the United States.Despite this background, Infantino reiterated FIFA’s stance on putting sport above political conflict. “Sports should be divorced from politics. If no one else believes in building bridges and keeping them intact and united, we will do the work,” he said. The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will be the first to feature 48 teams and is scheduled to kick off on June 11.
