FIFA rejects Iran's push to move World Cup matches out of US to Mexico

The 2026 World Cup will take place as scheduled, FIFA announced Tuesday after the Iranian ambassador and embassy in Mexico City claimed the country was negotiating with FIFA to move Iran’s three group-stage matches out of the U.S.

In a statement obtained by The Associated Press, FIFA said it is in "regular contact" with all countries competing in the upcoming tournament, which will largely take place in the U.S., but said the matches will take place as previously determined. 

"FIFA is in regular contact with all participating member associations, including (the Islamic Republic of) Iran, to discuss planning for the FIFA World Cup 2026. FIFA is looking forward to all participating teams competing as per the match schedule announced on 6 December 2025."

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Iran is scheduled to play in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 16 and Belgium on June 21 before finishing group play against Egypt in Seattle on June 26. The U.S. is hosting the tournament with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

Iran’s ambassador to Mexico Abolfazl Pasandideh urged FIFA to move the team’s games to Mexico in comments posted Monday on the embassy website. He reportedly said that the "best situation" for Iran would be to move the team’s games to Mexico. 

FIFA’s statement Tuesday ended speculation that there would be any adjustments to the schedule, including match locations. 

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President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post last week that Iran would be welcome to compete in the World Cup but that it might not be "appropriate" as the conflict in the Middle East continues. 

"The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety," he said.

Trump was indifferent the previous week when asked about Iran’s participation in the World Cup, telling Politico, "I really don’t care." 

FIFA President Gianni Infantino also said last week that Trump "reiterated" to him in their recent talks that Iran’s soccer team would be "welcome to compete" in the U.S.

"We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever, and I sincerely thank the President of the United States for his support, as it shows once again that Football Unites the World," he said in a post on Instagram. 

Previous remarks from Iran’s sports minister have cast doubt on the country’s participation, but the men’s soccer team released a statement Thursday saying that "no one can exclude" the squad from competing, and urged FIFA and the U.S. to ensure the team’s safety.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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