U.S. President Donald Trump has said that Iran will still be allowed to compete in this summer’s FIFA World Cup 2026 despite the ongoing war involving the United States and Israel.
The comments were revealed by Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, who said he met with Trump on Tuesday to discuss preparations for the tournament, which will be hosted across United States, Canada and Mexico starting on June 11.
Posting on Instagram, Infantino said the two leaders also discussed the current conflict involving Iran.
“During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States,” Infantino wrote, adding that global sporting events like the World Cup can help bring people together during tense times.
The participation of Iran had been thrown into doubt after recent military strikes by the United States and Israel targeted Iran earlier this month, an attack that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Tehran later responded by launching missiles and drones toward Israel and several Gulf nations hosting U.S. military bases, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Iran’s national team is currently scheduled to play three group-stage matches in the United States during the tournament. The fixtures include games against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and June 21, respectively, before facing Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
Last week, Trump told Politico that he “really didn’t care” whether Iran participated in the tournament.
Iranian football officials have expressed uncertainty about the team’s outlook following the outbreak of hostilities. Mehdi Taj, president of the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran, said the attacks have made it difficult to view the upcoming World Cup with optimism.
Meanwhile, Australia granted humanitarian visas to several members of Iran’s women’s national football team after concerns were raised about their safety. According to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, seven individuals were initially offered asylum, although one later chose to return to Iran.