Iran negotiating with FIFA to move its World Cup games to Mexico

Post created on 2:36 pm

Iran has begun negotiation with FIFA to move the country’s matches at the 2026 World Cup from the US to Mexico.

The Iranian Embassy in Mexico announced the latest twist in the development in a tweet on Tuesday.

The tweet quoted Mehdi Taj, the Iranian FA president, insisting that the country’s national team will “certainly not travel to ⁠America” because the US cannot ensure their security.

“When [US President Donald] Trump has ⁠explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to ⁠America,” the tweet reads.

“We are negotiating with FIFA to hold Iran’s World Cup matches in Mexico.”

The change in tone comes barely a week after Ahmad Donyamali, Iran’s sports minister, announced that Iran would not take part in the World Cup.

The minister emphasised that the safety of Iranian citizens cannot be guaranteed under the current circumstances.

Iran’s withdrawal from the World Cup was then followed by US President Donald Trump’s declaration that although Iranian players are welcome to participate in the competition, it would be inappropriate for them to feature “for their own life and safety”.

Iran has been in conflict with the US and Israel since February 28, with casualties including the death of Ayatollah Khamenei, the former Iranian supreme leader.

The war has led to the deaths of over 3040 people and wounded more than 12,000 in the first 15 days.

The 2026 World Cup will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. The tournament is scheduled to kick off on June 11.

Iran is drawn in Group G alongside Egypt, Belgium and New Zealand. The Iranian national team are scheduled to play all their group games in Seattle and California in the US.

(TheCable)