• FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirms Iran will play in the 2026 World Cup in the US.
• Iran's national team has been negotiating a potential relocation of matches to Mexico amid tensions.
• The World Cup scheduled to start on June 11 will feature Iran playing three group matches in the US.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has confirmed that Iran will participate in the 2026 World Cup and play its matches in the United States as scheduled, despite ongoing conflicts in the region. "Iran will be at the World Cup," Infantino stated during his unannounced attendance at a friendly match against Costa Rica in Turkey, reinforcing that "the matches will be played where they are supposed to be, according to the draw," according to Al Jazeera, Reuters, and Channel News Asia.

Iran’s football federation had hinted at relocating their scheduled matches to Mexico due to heightened tensions stemming from US-Israeli military actions. However, Infantino assured the Iranian team that FIFA is committed to their participation and "is looking forward to all participating teams competing as per the match schedule" announced previously, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.

The first Group G match for Iran is set against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, followed by games against Belgium on June 21 and Egypt on June 27. Infantino's reassurances come in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s ambiguous comments regarding the safety of the Iranian team traveling to the US, a statement that irked Iranian officials who asserted, "no one can exclude Iran’s national team from the World Cup," according to Reuters, Channel News Asia, and Al Jazeera.

Infantino expressed his commitment to ensuring that the necessary support is available for the Iranian team as they prepare for the tournament. "From now until the World Cup, I will do whatever I can to support the Iran national team," he affirmed, indicating a dedication to making logistic arrangements as needed, according to Reuters and Channel News Asia.