FIFA has definitively closed the door on relocating Iran’s 2026 World Cup fixtures to Mexico, maintaining the official match schedule for the tournament in North and Central America.
The controversy followed public comments from former U.S. President Donald Trump, who said it would be “inappropriate” for Iran’s team to travel to the United States citing security concerns. In response, Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian Football Federation, said the federation was negotiating to move Iran’s scheduled venues from Los Angeles and Seattle to Mexico.
Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera reported remarks from Ahmad Donyamalie, Iran’s sports minister, indicating Iran’s participation would be confirmed only if its U.S. matches were moved to Mexico—effectively making participation conditional on a venue change.
Sources within FIFA told The Times there are no substantive negotiations to relocate Iran’s matches.
FIFA says logistics are fixed, particularly given that a large portion of ticket sales for the U.S. venues has already been completed. In an official statement, FIFA said it “maintains regular contact with all participating federations, including the Iranian Football Federation, to discuss the planning of the FIFA World Cup 2026,” and expects teams to compete according to the match schedule announced on December 6, 2025. FIFA reaffirmed that planning continues as normal and that it expects the participation of all qualified teams under the established schedule.
It is pertinent to mention here that should Iran ultimately decide not to participate, FIFA holds exclusive authority to name a replacement team, with reported likely candidates to fill a hypothetical vacancy including Iraq and the United Arab Emirates.
FIFA says Iran to play World Cup matches in U.S. despite war
