Football chief Mehdi Taj vows country will “boycott America” but not the summer tournament
Iran are going ahead with their World Cup preparations despite uncertainty over where they will play their matches, according to football chief Mehdi Taj.
The Middle Eastern nation was among the first to secure qualification for the World Cup, but the breakout of war with the US and Israel has raised doubts over the possibility of its national team playing in North America in the summer. Iran are scheduled to play all of their group stage games in the US from 11 June to 19 July.
Taj confirmed last week that the country is “negotiating with Fifa to hold Iran’s World Cup matches in Mexico”. The team are preparing for the tournament with a training camp in Turkey and two upcoming friendlies against Nigeria and Costa Rica in Antalya.
“We will boycott America, but we will not boycott the World Cup,” Taj was quoted as saying by Iran’s Fars News Agency.
This is despite earlier comments from the nation’s sports minister Ahmad Donyamali, who said the national team could not possibly play in the World Cup given the context of the war against one of the tournament’s co-hosts. US air strikes on Iran in the past month killed Iran’s leader Ali Khamenei.
“Considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup,” said Donyamali. “Our children are not safe and, fundamentally, such conditions for participation do not exist.”
Donald Trump also insisted Iran were “welcome” to travel to the US but that it would be best if they were not there.
“The Iran national soccer team is welcome to the World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety,” the US president said.
Meanwhile, it is unlikely that Fifa would agree to move Iran’s matches from the US to Mexico, as it recognises such a move would cause significant inconvenience and disruption to other participating countries and broadcasters.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said her country do not mind hosting Iran, but that the decision was Fifa’s to make. Fifa has already announced that all countries are to play in the tournament “as per the match schedule announced on 6 December 2025”, according to Reuters.
The schedule has Iran playing two group matches in Los Angeles and another in Seattle. However, Beau Busch, the president of the Asia-Pacific branch of Fifpro, the football players’ union, has warned Fifa that it has a responsibility to protect all participants in the World Cup.
“Fifa have an institutional responsibility to protect human rights,” Busch said.
“What’s critical is that Fifa undertake a really comprehensive human rights impact assessment, and they assess to ensure that every single participant at the World Cup, every player, every fan, can be safe, and that any risks are identified and mitigated effectively.”
