ZURICH : FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday that the 2026 World Cup would go ahead as scheduled with all qualified teams participating, despite uncertainty over Iran’s involvement in the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“We have a schedule, and we want the World Cup to go ahead as planned,” Infantino said during an online meeting of the FIFA Council.
Infantino said FIFA was looking forward to all teams competing “in a spirit of fair play and mutual respect”.
His comments come after Iranian officials cast doubt on their country’s participation following conflict triggered by U.S. and Israeli air strikes on Iran.
Iran had said it was in talks with FIFA about moving its group-stage matches from the United States to Mexico due to concerns over the safety of its players.
Infantino said FIFA could not resolve geopolitical disputes but was committed to using football as a force to build bridges and promote peace.
The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to run from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Iran are due to play all three of their Group G matches in the United States, with fixtures in Los Angeles and Seattle against Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand.
