The national football federation wants to relocate its group matches to Mexico due to the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran.
Published On 17 Mar 2026
Iran’s football federation is in discussions with FIFA about moving its World Cup 2026 matches from the United States to tournament co-host Mexico due to concerns about the safety of players, Iranian football president Mehdi Taj has said.
“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,” Taj said on Monday in a post on the Iranian embassy in Mexico’s X account.
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“We are negotiating with FIFA to hold Iran’s World Cup matches in Mexico.”
The Iranian sports minister said last week its players could not participate in football’s global showpiece after the US and Israel launched air attacks on the country in late February, killing the supreme leader and several other political and military leaders.
Trump has said the Iranian team is welcome to participate, but suggested it might not be appropriate for them to play in the country “for their own life and safety”.
Iran qualified for the 48-team tournament to be held in the US, Canada and Mexico from June 11 and are scheduled to play two group matches in Los Angeles and one in Seattle.
They were the first Asian nation to qualify for the World Cup, securing their spot on March 25, 2025.
The US-Israel war on Iran started on February 28, 2026, and is now in its third week.
