March 19 – Iranian Football Association President Mehdi Taj has said that the country will boycott the United States, but not the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In a video released by Iranian press agency Fars, Taj said: “We will be preparing for the World Cup. We will boycott the United States but not the World Cup.”
Earlier this week, Iran’s FA said it had opened talks with FIFA about relocating the team’s matches from the United States to Mexico. Iran is scheduled to play its group games in Los Angeles and Seattle, but the world governing body said it will stick to the original match schedule.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that her country was prepared to host Iran’s first-round matches if required, owing to the war in the Middle East.
FIFA released a statement that ‘it is in regular contact with all participating member associations, including Iran, to discuss planning for the FIFA World Cup 2026. FIFA is looking forward to all participating teams competing as per the match schedule announced on 6 December 2025.”
Iran’s participation in the World Cup has become doubtful after the United States, one of the co-hosts of this summer’s tournament, and Israel, launched an attack on the Persian Gulf, plunging the entire Middle East into a crisis. Iran has retaliated with strikes across the Gulf.
The Iranians, one of the first teams to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, are drawn with Belgium, New Zealand and Egypt in Group G.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at [email protected]