FIFA President Gianni Infantino has expressed pride in the efforts made to ensure Iran’s participation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup amid ongoing geopolitical tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the tournament’s opening match between Mexico and South Africa at the Estadio Azteca on June 11, Infantino highlighted the challenges FIFA faced in facilitating Iran’s involvement in the competition.
The World Cup is taking place against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the Middle East, with the situation affecting logistical arrangements for the Iranian national team.
As a result, Iran opted to relocate its World Cup base camp from the United States to Mexico. Under the arrangement, the team will be based in Mexico and travel to the United States for matches before returning to its training camp.
Iran have been drawn in Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand.
Addressing concerns that the political situation could have prevented Iran from competing, Infantino praised the determination shown by both FIFA and the Iranian Football Federation.
“People were saying Iran couldn’t come to the World Cup. I promised them they would come and if I had to go on a bus to Tehran and drive them here, I would do that,” Infantino said.
“Their answer was, ‘We will take the bus and drive ourselves if needs be. We qualified and we want to play.’ This is the spirit of football.”
The FIFA president acknowledged that organising Iran’s participation had not been straightforward but described the outcome as a success for the governing body.
“There are challenges. It’s not easy,” he added. “I am very happy we managed to get Iran to come and play. I am proud of the work of my team.”
Iran will begin their World Cup campaign aiming to progress from a competitive Group G that includes African heavyweights Egypt, European side Belgium and Oceania representatives New Zealand.
Their participation comes despite the political complexities surrounding the tournament and reinforces FIFA’s commitment to ensuring all qualified nations have the opportunity to compete on football’s biggest stage.
