The President of the Iranian soccer federation has said 'negotations' with FIFA to change the location of its 2026 Men’s World Cup matches are taking place amid ongoing conflict.
On 28 February, the United States and Israel launched a joint strike on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who has since been replaced by his son and chosen successor, Mojtaba Khamenei.
The attack comes ahead of Iran’s participation in the FIFA 2026 Men’s World Cup, with the team set to play all three of its group matches in the USA.
Amir Ghalenoei’s side is set to kick off their fourth consecutive campaign at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium on 15 June against New Zealand before facing Belgium at the same venue five days later.
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The competition group stage will conclude with a scheduled game against Egypt at Seattle’s Lumen Field, home of two-time Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks, on 26 June.
However, Mehdi Taj, who has served as the President of the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran since 2022, has requested that the three games be moved from the US to Mexico.
What has Donald Trump said about Iran’s involvement in the World Cup?
Iran’s desire to move its Group Stage games to co-host nation Mexico has potentially been sparked by comments made by US President Donald Trump.
The 79-year-old has said that although the Iranian squad would be welcome at the World Cup, he added: "I really don't believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”
The comments, posted via his Truth Social platform, came two days after FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Trump had ‘reiterated’ that the Iranian team was ‘welcome to compete in the tournament’.
“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 wrote via Instagram.
Why does Iran want to move its World Cup games?
Earlier this month, Iranian sports minister Ahmad Donyamali said the men’s team would ‘under no circumstances’ participate in the tournament following the US-Israel attack, as per Reuters.
He added that it was not possible for the campaign to begin because of the ‘wicked acts’ the co-host nation had ‘done against Iran’.
Meanwhile, Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei claimed FIFA had a responsibility to ensure the safety of its players and coaches if they did go ahead with the games.
"FIFA is the organizer of the World Cup. When warnings are issued at the highest level about the environment being unsafe for Iranian football players, this indicates that the host country apparently lacks the capacity and ability to provide security for such an important sporting event.”
Despite initial misgivings, the Iranian Embassy in Mexico City has said that the country could still compete if the matches were moved.
In a statement issued on behalf of Taj on Monday (16 March), the Embassy wrote: “When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America.
“We are currently negotiating with FIFA to hold Iran's matches in the World Cup in Mexico.”
In response, a FIFA spokesperson said the governing body was ‘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 Dec. 6, 2025.”
The unprecedented match-moving request has since been put to Mexico President, Claudia Sheinbaum.
The 63-year-old said at a press conference that the country ‘maintains diplomatic relations with every country in the world’ and that it would ‘wait to see what FIFA decided’.
Are Iranian players at risk by participating in the World Cup?
It’s not currently clear whether Iranian sportsmen believe their lives may be in danger if they compete in the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
A team statement previously posted to Instagram read: “The World Cup is a historic and international event and its governing body is FIFA - not any individual, country.
“Iran's national team, with strength and a series of decisive victories achieved by the brave sons of Iran, was among the first teams to qualify for this major tournament.
“Certainly, no one can exclude Iran's national team from the World Cup; the only country that could be excluded is one that merely carries the title of 'host' yet lacks the ability to provide security for the teams participating in this global event.”
An official withdrawal from the competition has yet to be received, as per The Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
“At the end of the day, it’s the federation who should decide if they’re playing, and as of today, the federation has told us that they are going to the World Cup,” AFC General Secretary Windsor John told reporters in Kuala Lumpur, according to CNN.
Ella Scott