“The Iranian team is coming for sure, yes,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Wednesday at CNBC‘s Invest in America Forum, directly contradicting Iran’s sports minister, who declared last month the team would not participate under any circumstances.
“Iran has to come. They represent their people. They have qualified. The players want to play.”
Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali told state television in March that the US-Israeli military campaign killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei left no basis for participation.
“Considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup,” he said. The Iranian Football Federation separately asked FIFA to relocate the team’s group-stage matches from the US to co-host Mexico. FIFA denied the request, a decision Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed last week.
Infantino visited the Iranian squad at a training camp in Antalya, Turkey, on March 31. “I went to see them. They are actually quite a good team as well,” he said. “They really want to play. And they should play.” On the politics: “We don’t live on the moon, we live on planet Earth. But if there is nobody else that believes in building bridges and keeping them intact, well, we are doing that job.”
Iran faces New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21, and Egypt in Seattle on June 26. The delegation arrives at its Tucson, Arizona training base no later than June 10.
US President Donald Trump told Infantino Iran was “of course, welcome to compete,” then posted on Truth Social that attendance was not “appropriate” — citing player safety. The Iranian team fired back on Instagram, saying the only nation deserving exclusion is one that “carries the title of host yet lacks the ability to provide security.”
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Under FIFA regulations, withdrawal after qualifying carries a substantial fine and a ban from future competition — a line no nation has crossed since 1950. If Iran pulls out, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates are the likeliest replacements.
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