“Iran will be at the World Cup,” Infantino said at half-time of Iran’s friendly match against Costa Rica in Turkey. The World Cup, being hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, starts on June 11. The Iranian football federation said earlier this month it was “negotiating” with Fifa to relocate the country’s World Cup matches from the United States to Mexico. Iran hit back at Trump’s comments, saying that “no one can exclude Iran’s national team from the World Cup”. On March 19, Infantino said Fifa was committed to making sure the World Cup goes ahead “as scheduled” with “all teams” taking part.

Source: Bangkok Post March 31, 2026 15:11 UTC