On Wednesday, amidst the ongoing conflict with Iran, International Association Football Federation (FIFA) President Gianni Infantino announced that U.S. President Donald Trump had confirmed his support for Iran’s participation in the North American World Cup.
According to AFP and BBC reports, Infantino shared on Instagram that he had met with President Trump the previous day to discuss preparations for the 2026 North American World Cup, scheduled for June.
Infantino revealed that he and Trump also discussed the current situation in Iran and the Iranian national team’s qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He stated that Trump reaffirmed his welcome for the Iranian team’s participation in the tournament held in the U.S.
The FIFA president expressed sincere gratitude to the U.S. president for demonstrating once again that soccer unites the world, emphasizing the need for events like the World Cup that bring people together now more than ever.
Iran, placed in Group G alongside Belgium, New Zealand, and Egypt, is set to play two matches in Los Angeles and one in Seattle. However, their participation has become uncertain following the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, which resulted in the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian Football Federation, told sports portal Varzesh3 shortly after the outbreak of hostilities that one thing is certain: it cannot hold hope for the World Cup after this attack. The U.S. regime has attacked the homeland, and it will not let this incident go unchallenged.
On March 3, President Trump told Politico that he doesn’t care at all about Iran’s participation in the tournament.
In a related development, five players from the Iranian women’s national soccer team, who refrained from singing their national anthem during their first group match against South Korea at the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia on March 2, applied for asylum on March 9.
The Australian government reported that these players secretly left their team accommodation under cover of darkness to seek protection. Australian authorities have granted them humanitarian visas.
