FIFA President Gianni Infantino recently released a statement amid rising political tensions between the USA and Iran. His remarks come ahead of the World Cup slated for June 11, 2026. Infantino maintained his stance on promoting peace.
According to reports by The Independent, Infantino addressed the ongoing political conflict between the U.S. and Iran and offered clarity on whether the escalating tensions would impact the upcoming FIFA matches set to take place in the USA.
Infantino mentioned, “FIFA and football can certainly not solve geopolitical conflicts.” He then cemented his stance to promote global peace with another remark. Infantino mentioned, “We are committed to using the power of football and the FIFA World Cup to build bridges and promote peace.”
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Infantino’s statement strongly suggests that FIFA won’t be interfering in the ongoing situation between the two countries. However, it will continue to do what it has always done: feature a once-in-five-years world championship for football that brings together fans from across the world.
He also expressed empathy for the victims of the ongoing war, including those who have lost their lives amid the conflict, personally and on behalf of FIFA.
Infantino also hopes that the footballers competing from different countries would play fairly and respectfully. According to FIFA’s website, 48 countries are scheduled to play against each other.
He confirmed that there is a schedule in place and hopes that the World Cup preparations will go seamlessly. He also stated that the names of the participating countries will be revealed shortly.
His statement comes as a result of the confusion about whether or not Iran would play, considering their ongoing political feud with the U.S. Previously, Iran’s Sports Minister, Ahmad Donjamali, had claimed that Iran would not be participating in the FIFA World Cup 2026.
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Citing the death of Iran’s late leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Donjamali said, “We have no intention of participating in the World Cup.” Now, although the Sports Minister himself has commented against Iran’s participation, the Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) has a different opinion, according to reports by The Guardian.
The association’s president, Mehdi Taj, remains optimistic about participating. He strongly suggested that they have every intention of playing this year. But, given the geopolitical situation, they’ve requested that the games their team plays be held in Mexico instead.
Taj confirmed that Team Iran will be preparing for their match. He also said, “We will boycott the United States but not the World Cup.”
Despite the uncertainty of Iran not participating this year, they have been officially scheduled to play their group matches in the USA. However, many uncertainties, starting with whether or not the team would compete, remain.
Similarly, confirmation about a possible exception to Iran’s change of location is also pending. This presents a dilemma if a venue change is sanctioned: whether Iran will allow its team to participate, or whether it will withdraw from the competition.
