United States President Donald Trump has reportedly assured global football authorities that Iran will be permitted to participate in the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 despite rising geopolitical tensions and the ongoing conflict involving the country.
The assurance was disclosed by Gianni Infantino, the President of FIFA, after he met with the U.S. leader to discuss preparations for the global football tournament scheduled to take place this summer.
The 2026 World Cup will be hosted jointly by United States, Canada, and Mexico, with matches scheduled between June 11 and July 19. It will be the first edition of the tournament featuring 48 national teams, making it the largest World Cup in the history of international football.
According to Infantino, Trump confirmed that the Iranian national team would be welcomed to compete in the United States should they qualify and participate in the tournament.
Iran is currently scheduled to play several group-stage matches in the United States. The team is expected to open its campaign on June 15 in Inglewood, California, where they will face New Zealand. The Iranian team will then play its second group match against Belgium on June 21 before completing its group-stage fixtures against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
However, uncertainty had recently emerged regarding Iran’s participation due to the ongoing conflict involving the country and the tense geopolitical environment surrounding the war in the Middle East. Some Iranian officials had suggested that the country’s ability to participate in the global football tournament could be affected by the crisis.
Despite those concerns, Infantino revealed that his discussions with President Trump provided reassurance that Iran’s national team would not face restrictions from entering the United States for the competition.
“We also spoke about the current situation in Iran and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026,” Infantino wrote in a post shared on Instagram. “During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.”
The FIFA president emphasized that global sporting events such as the World Cup serve as opportunities to unite people from different countries and cultures, especially during periods of global tension and conflict.
“We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever,” Infantino added while thanking President Trump for his support in ensuring that the tournament remains inclusive.
Infantino is known to have maintained a close relationship with Trump over the years. In the past, the U.S. president was presented with FIFA’s inaugural peace prize, an award that critics suggested may have been created specifically with Trump in mind.
The issue of Iran’s participation in the tournament has drawn attention partly because of earlier travel restrictions imposed by the U.S. government. During the early stages of Trump’s administration, citizens from several countries, including Iran, were affected by travel bans that limited their entry into the United States.
At that time, Iranian fans were among those restricted from traveling to the U.S., raising concerns among football supporters about whether similar policies could affect attendance at future international sporting events.
Nevertheless, the latest assurance from Trump appears to clarify that the Iranian national team itself will not face barriers in participating in the competition.
FIFA officials have also insisted that the tournament will proceed as scheduled despite global political tensions and ongoing conflicts in various parts of the world.
Earlier this week, Heimo Schirgi, the Chief Operating Officer of the World Cup organizing committee, stated that the tournament is too significant to be postponed or disrupted by geopolitical turmoil.
Schirgi noted that FIFA is carefully monitoring the evolving situation related to the conflict involving Iran but remains confident that the competition will go ahead as planned.
“We basically take it day by day, and at some stage we will have a resolution,” he said. “And the World Cup will go on, obviously. The World Cup is too big and we hope that everyone can participate that has qualified.”
The upcoming tournament is expected to attract millions of fans from across the globe and generate massive economic activity in the host countries. With matches spread across numerous cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, it will be one of the most extensive sporting events ever organized.
Some analysts have also pointed out that refusing to allow Iran’s team to participate could create serious complications for the host nation. Such a move might violate FIFA’s regulations, which require host countries to guarantee entry to all qualified teams regardless of political differences.
If the United States were to deny entry to the Iranian national team, it could potentially risk sanctions from FIFA or even face the possibility of losing its role as a host nation for the tournament.
For now, however, the assurances provided by President Trump appear to have eased concerns within the football governing body. FIFA officials remain optimistic that the tournament will proceed smoothly and that all qualified nations, including Iran, will have the opportunity to compete on the world’s biggest football stage.
