Collected photoANTALYA, Turkey, March 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - FIFA president Gianni Infantino attended a friendly in Turkey between Iran, whose participation in this year's World Cup is in doubt, and Costa Rica on Tuesday. The Iranian football federation has said it is "negotiating" with FIFA to relocate the country's World Cup matches from the United States to Mexico, due to the US and Israel's war with Iran. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that her country is prepared to host Iran's first-round matches at the 2026 World Cup if needed. Infantino initially said that Trump had given assurances that the Iranian team -- scheduled to face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles, followed by Egypt in Seattle -- would still be welcome. Iran hit back at Trump's comments, saying that "no one can exclude Iran's national team from the World Cup".

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha March 31, 2026 14:40 UTC