Fifa President Gianni Infantino has stated that Iran will “for sure” participate in the upcoming World Cup, despite ongoing hostilities with the United States. Speaking at CNBC’s Invest in America Forum, Infantino dismissed uncertainty over Iran’s involvement following US and Israeli airstrikes on the country.
“The Iranian team is coming for sure, yes,” Infantino said. “We hope that by then, of course, the situation will be a peaceful situation. ... But Iran has to come. Of course, they represent their people. They have qualified. The players want to play.” He revealed he had met the Iranian squad in Antalya, Turkey, a fortnight ago, describing them as “quite a good team”.
Infantino acknowledged the difficulty of separating sport from politics, but emphasised Fifa’s role in building bridges. “If there is nobody else that believes in building bridges and in keeping them, you know, intact and together, well we are doing that job,” he added.
The United States will co-host the tournament alongside Canada and Mexico. Iran’s group-stage matches are scheduled in Inglewood, California, and Seattle. Doubts over their participation had been fuelled by conflicting statements from Iranian officials and a social media post from US President Donald Trump warning against their attendance for safety reasons.
