Iran are number 20 in FIFA’s ranking and are Asia’s second-highest best ranked side [FILE: November 2025]Image: Sebastian Frej/IMAGO
Iran’s football federation said it was in talks with world football governing body FIFA to have the Iranian men’s national team’s World Cup games moved from the US to Mexico due to safety concerns.
The US, Mexico and Canada are jointly hosting the 2026 World Cup, which begins in June.
“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,” Iranian football chief Mehdi Taj said in remarks posted on the embassy’s X account.
“We are negotiating with FIFA to hold Iran’s World Cup matches in Mexico,” Taj said.
FIFA has not yet publicly commented on the matter.
Last week, US President Donald Trump said on his Truth Social platform that while Iran’s players would be welcome at the footballing showcase, he didn’t believe that it was “appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”
Previously, Iran’s sports minister said Iran would boycott the 2026 World Cup due to the ongoing joint US-Israeli air strikes.
Iran are set to play against New Zealand and Belgium at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and then against Egypt in Seattle.
The team’s base camp for the tournament is currently slated for Tucson, Arizona.
Iranian national footballers have already been in the headlines recently, after five of the seven women who had been granted asylum in Australia while attending the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup reportedly decided to return to Iran.
The team was offered asylum after some players remained silent during the Iranian national anthem before their opening match — a gesture that led Iranian state television to call them “wartime traitors.”
