Iran will ‘boycott America, but not the World Cup’, says federation president

Iran will “boycott America, but not the World Cup”, the president of the country’s football federation is reported to have said.

Iran’s participation at the finals has been cast into doubt after the United States and Israel launched air strikes on the country at the end of February.

Iran are due to play all three of their group matches in the US, but the country’s football federation chief, Mehdi Taj, said in quotes reported by the Fars news agency on Wednesday: “We will boycott America, but we will not boycott the World Cup.”

That followed on from quotes attributed to Taj posted on the X account of the Iranian embassy in Mexico on Tuesday, in which he claimed to be “negotiating” with FIFA to move Iran’s matches to Mexico.

The Press Association understands that as of Thursday morning, nothing had been communicated to FIFA by the Iranian federation regarding the relocation of Iran’s matches.

FIFA issued a statement on Tuesday which appeared to rule out the possibility of moving Iran’s games, saying it looked forward to all teams competing “as per the match schedule announced on December 6, 2025”.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino publicly addressed the Middle East conflict for the first time following the conclusion of a FIFA Council meeting on Thursday.

“FIFA can’t solve geopolitical conflicts, but we are committed to using the power of football and the FIFA World Cup to build bridges and promote peace as our thoughts are with those who are suffering as a consequence of the ongoing wars,” he said.

“FIFA is looking forward to all teams participating at the FIFA World Cup to compete in a spirit of fair play and mutual respect.

“We have a schedule. We will soon have the 48 competing teams confirmed and we want the FIFA World Cup to go ahead as scheduled.”

Even if Iran’s group games were moved, there would still be an issue with subsequent knockout matches. If Iran and the US finish second in their group, for example, the sides would meet in Dallas on July 3.

US president Donald Trump said last week it would not be “appropriate” for Iran to play at the World Cup “for their life and safety”.

Taj is also reported to have told the Fars news agency on Wednesday that Iran intended to press ahead with friendlies against Nigeria and Costa Rica in Turkey later this month.