The Iranian government has announced that the country's institutions are fully prepared for its national football team's participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In a statement to state broadcaster IRIB, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said on Wednesday that the Ministry of Youth and Sports has ensured all necessary arrangements for the team's effective involvement in the tournament.
Mohajerani added that preparations are being made under the directive of the sport minister, with a focus on providing required facilities for a successful performance. FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated on April 16 that Iran is expected to participate in the upcoming World Cup, noting that the team has qualified and expressed willingness to compete despite the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran.
Infantino emphasized, "But Iran has to come, they represent their people, they have qualified, the players want to play," regarding the Iranian team's matches scheduled in the United States in June. He asserted that "sports should be outside of politics." US President Donald Trump said in March that while Iran's team would be welcome at the tournament, he questioned whether it would be appropriate for them to attend, citing concerns over their "life and safety."
Iran is scheduled to play its three Group G matches in the United States – two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle – with their base for the tournament in Tucson, Arizona. Iran's participation in the global tournament co-hosted by the three North American countries had been thrown into doubt by the conflict launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.
Iran initially raised the prospect of a "boycott" of the competition before requesting FIFA to move its matches from the United States to Mexico, a request that the world governing body rejected. After several weeks of air strikes on Iran and Iranian reprisals against Israel and other countries in the region, a fragile truce came into effect on April 8.
The announcement of the two-week ceasefire was followed by rare direct talks in Islamabad on April 11–12, which ended without an agreement. The ceasefire was later extended by the US regime as diplomatic efforts continue. The World Cup, the first to feature 48 teams, starts on June 11.
Source: www.aljazeera.com