FIFA president Infantino says World Cup schedule to go ahead as planned despite Iran-US tensions

The World Cup is slated to kick off on June 11 in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with Iran scheduled to play two group matches in Los Angeles and one in Seattle. Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand are Iran’s opponents in ​Group G. Iran had booked their place in a fourth successive ​World Cup by topping their group in the third round of Asian qualifying last year.

After U.S. President Donald Trump recently said that he could not assure the safety of the players during the World Cup, Iran doubled down on their demand to move their games out of the United States. “When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure ​the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” said Iranian football ‌president Mehdi Taj on X.

“We are negotiating with FIFA to hold Iran’s World Cup matches in Mexico,” Taj said on the Iranian embassy in Mexico’s X account.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday said that her country would be open to hosting Iran’s first-round matches if required.

However, Infantino downplayed questions over a possible change in the scheduling, insisting that the world body could not resolve geopolitical conflicts.

“FIFA can’t solve geopolitical conflicts, but we are committed to using the power of football and the World Cup to build bridges and promote peace as our thoughts are with those who are suffering as a consequence of the ongoing wars,” added Infantino.