FIFA President Gianni Infantino has expressed strong confidence that Iran will participate in the upcoming World Cup in the United States, despite ongoing geopolitical tensions and initial concerns raised by Iran’s sports minister regarding the team’s ability to travel amidst the conflict with the United States and Israel. Former US President Donald Trump had also voiced concerns for the players’ ‘life and safety’.
FIFA Rejects Relocation Request
Infantino reiterated his firm stance on Wednesday, asserting that the Iranian team would travel to the US ‘for sure’. While a two-week ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, is currently in effect in the US-Israel war on Iran, Iranian officials had repeatedly requested that their team’s games be relocated from the US to Mexico – one of the three host nations alongside Canada. However, FIFA and President Infantino have ruled out any relocation, citing logistical challenges and providing assurances for the safety of Iranian players and staff.
“The Iranian team is coming for sure, yes,” Infantino confirmed in an interview with US business news outlet CNBC.
Sports Beyond Politics
The FIFA chief, known for his close relationship with former US President Trump, emphasized that ‘Iran has to come’ to the tournament, even as the fragile ceasefire approaches its April 22 deadline. “We hope that by then, of course, the situation will be a peaceful situation,” Infantino stated regarding the conflict. “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 recently visited the Iranian team at their training camp in Antalya, Turkiye, and reported that the team is eager to participate in the World Cup. He underscored his belief that ‘sports should be outside of politics’. “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,” he added.
Iran’s World Cup Schedule
Iran, among the first teams to qualify for the tournament, is scheduled to play all three of their group stage matches on the US West Coast. Team Melli will kick off their campaign against New Zealand on June 15, followed by a match against Belgium on June 21, both to be held in Los Angeles. Their final group stage game will be against Egypt on June 26 in Seattle. Should they advance, any subsequent knockout stage matches for Iran would also take place in the United States.
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