FIFA says Iran will play 2026 World Cup matches in United States

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Iran will play its 2026 World Cup matches in the United States, a decision that turns one of the tournament’s most sensitive geopolitical questions into a logistical reality. “We have to bring people together,” Infantino said, adding, “Of course Iran will play in the United States of America,” because “we have to unite.”

Iran has already qualified for the expanded 48-team tournament, which will be staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico. FIFA rejected Iran’s request to move its group-stage matches from the United States to Mexico, keeping the team on a schedule that now intersects directly with U.S. security policy, immigration screening and cross-border travel rules.

Iran is in Group G with Belgium, New Zealand and Egypt. Its first match is set for June 15 against New Zealand in Inglewood, California, followed by Belgium on June 21 in Inglewood and Egypt on June 26 in Seattle. The team’s planned training camp would be in Tucson, Arizona, which means Iran’s delegation will have to navigate U.S. entry procedures well before kickoff.

The issue was sharpened in Vancouver, where Iran’s football federation was absent from FIFA’s 76th Congress after officials left Canada following what Tehran described as unacceptable treatment by Canadian immigration authorities. Reuters reported that no seats were set up for Iran at the Vancouver Convention Centre and that 210 of FIFA’s 211 member associations were shown as present. The absence underscored how quickly a global sports event can become entangled in border control, diplomatic friction and official vetting.

The tensions extend beyond Canada. Iran had suggested last month that it would not participate amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, though a ceasefire has been in place since April 7. Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington has no objection to Iranian players taking part, but that people with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps would not be allowed to accompany them. Canadian officials said entry decisions are made case by case and reiterated that IRGC-linked individuals are inadmissible in Canada.

FIFA has consistently said Iran will keep the World Cup schedule it was assigned last December, before the conflict escalated. But with Iran already in the draw and matches fixed in California and Washington, the tournament now carries the weight of a sporting showcase and a security test at the same time.