FIFA chief confirms USA-Iran World Cup boost after talks with Donald Trump
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed that he’s spoken with US President Donald Trump about Iran’s possible participation at the 2026 World Cup.
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Trump recently put the US at war with Iran, but there have been mixed messages about how soon the conflict could come to an end.
Infantino, posting on his official Instagram account, says he’s spoken with Trump and been given reassurances that Iran would still be welcome to participate at the World Cup, which will be held in North America this summer.
Gianni Infantino’s update after talks with Donald Trump
“This evening, I met with the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump to discuss the status of preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, and the growing excitement as we are set to kick off in just 93 days,” he said.
“We also spoke about the current situation in Iran, and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026. During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.
“We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever, and I sincerely thank the President of the United States for his support, as it shows once again that Football Unites the World.”
FIFA rule out delaying World Cup
Elsewhere, a FIFA spokesperson has publicly ruled out postponing the World Cup, which is due to start in just over three months’ time.
It could be that everything has blown over by then, but this whole saga will once again raise serious question-marks over giving the US this tournament.
Mexico and Canada will also be co-hosts, but the US is obviously a big player in this and simply looks too unstable right now to be able to welcome fans from all over the world.
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