FIFA Confirms Iran Will Compete at 2026 World Cup After Gianni Infantino Meets Donald Trump
- FIFA has reassured that Iran’s men’s football team is expected to take part in the 2026 World Cup despite tensions in the Middle East
- Gianni Infantino held a meeting with US President Donald Trump to talk about World Cup preparations and Iran’s involvement in the tournament
- Ongoing conflict has already affected international sports, but the World Cup is seen as an event that can bring people together
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will continue as planned, amid the US-Iran conflicts that have threatened to overshadow the global showpiece, which is set to kick off on 11 June.
Source: Getty Images
The tournament has already faced political and logistical scrutiny, particularly in the United States, where decisions taken by President Donald Trump have fuelled debate around the event’s broader political backdrop.
The recent killing of a Mexican drug lord has also added fresh anxiety around the tournament, not to mention the Middle East crisis, which has further compounded an already precarious situation for World Cup organisers.
According to the Chief Operating Officer of FIFA, Heimo Schirgi, the tournament is too big to be postponed. Speaking at the International Broadcast Centre in Dallas on Monday, 8 March 2026, he said the scale of the event makes postponement unrealistic. Speaking on Iran, he said that, ' at some stage, we will have a resolution, and the World Cup will go on, obviously'
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''The World Cup is too big, and we hope that everyone who has qualified can participate.''
Also, FIFA President Gianni Infantino clarified that Iran’s men’s football team is welcome to compete at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, following a meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Infantino meets Trump
On Wednesday, 11 March 2026, Infantino met with President Trump to review preparations for the upcoming World Cup, which kicks off on 11 June. During the meeting, the two leaders also discussed the current situation in Iran and the country’s qualification for the tournament.
FIFA’s official statement confirmed that President Trump reiterated that Iran’s men’s team is “of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.” Infantino highlighted the importance of football as a unifying force, saying,
“We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever.”
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Trump’s latest stance contradicts his earlier indifference about whether Iran would participate in the tournament. Infantino’s acknowledgement of the Middle East conflict marks the first time the FIFA president has addressed the situation, following the awarding of the FIFA Peace Prize to Trump in December.
Middle East conflict raises questions
Tensions escalated in late February after a joint US-Israeli strike killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, prompting retaliatory missile and drone attacks by Iran on neighbouring countries, including Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Cyprus, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. Fighting also broke out between Israeli forces and the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, displacing thousands of civilians.
Source: Getty Images
These events have already impacted sport globally. The England Lions and England Women’s tours of the UAE were cancelled, and Iranian para cross-country skier Aboulfazl Khatibi Mianaei withdrew from the Milan-Cortina Paralympic Games. Despite the turmoil, Iran’s women’s football team completed the Asian Cup in Australia, although they initially refused to sing the national anthem before their opening match against South Korea.
With the 2026 World Cup just 93 days away, FIFA’s statement reassures fans and players that Iran’s men’s team will compete in the United States, reinforcing the message that football transcends politics and conflict.
Marawa makes a cheeky comment about Donald Trump
Briefly News previously reported that sports broadcaster Robert Marawa, following Bafana Bafana’s qualification for the FIFA World Cup on Tuesday, 14 October 2025, shared a cheeky post on X, seemingly aiming at US President Donald Trump and the group of 49 Afrikaner refugees who relocated to America earlier this year.
Marawa’s post was widely read as a light-hearted jab, mocking the irony that South Africans are now preparing to travel to the United States for football’s biggest event.
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Source: Briefly News
