Iran is scheduled to play three of its 2026 FIFA World Cup group games in the United States, but the alternative match will be in Mexico.
Published March 19, 2026
Iran’s national team continues to prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and has no intention of withdrawing from the tournament, but will “boycott” matches in the United States, head of soccer Mehdi Taj has claimed.
Iran was one of the first countries to qualify for the finals, but its participation has been in doubt since the conflict between the Islamic Republic and the United States began in late February.
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The tournament will run from June 11th to July 19th and will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Team Melli will play all three of its opening group games in the United States, but Taj said on Monday that the Football Federation of Iran (FFIRI) was in talks with FIFA to move to Mexico.
Iran will play Nigeria on March 27 and Costa Rica in Antalya four days later as part of the four-nation invitational tournament, which was forced to change from Jordan due to the Middle East conflict.
“The national team is holding a training camp in Turkiye and will also play two friendly matches there,” FFIRI president Taj was quoted by Fars news agency on Wednesday. “We will boycott America, but we will not boycott the World Cup.”
Taj spoke on Wednesday while welcoming the women’s national team players back to Iran at the Turkiye border crossing after a long journey from Australia.
The entire delegation in Australia for the Women’s Asian Cup was offered asylum by the host country over concerns about their safety in Iran. Seven people accepted, but in the end only two remained.
US President Donald Trump urged Australia to offer asylum to the players, later saying that while Iranian players would be welcome to play in the US, it may not be appropriate for their “life and safety”.
Trump later stressed that any threat to the players did not come from the United States, but Taj, a former member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, used the president’s statement as grounds for requesting a change of venue.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Tuesday that her country was open to hosting Iran’s World Cup matches against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in June, but that FIFA had the final say on changing the venue.
Football’s world governing body, which has been in contact with FFIRI, said: “We look forward to seeing all participating teams compete in accordance with the fixture schedule announced on 6 December 2025.”
Beau Busch, president of the Asia-Pacific region of football players’ association FIFPRO, said it was FIFA’s duty to ensure the safety of everyone involved in the World Cup.
“FIFA has an institutional responsibility to protect human rights,” the Australian told Reuters.
“What is important is that FIFA conducts a truly comprehensive human rights impact assessment and assesses it to ensure that all World Cup participants, all players and all fans are safe and that any risks are identified and effectively mitigated.”
