The Iranian national team is pressing ahead with preparations for the World Cup finals and has no plans to withdraw, even if they do not travel to the United States, football chief Mehdi Taj said Wednesday.
Iran was among the first teams to secure qualification, but their participation has been uncertain since tensions between the Islamic Republic and the U.S. escalated in late February.
The tournament runs June 11 to July 19 across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
Team Melli is set to play all three of its opening-round group matches in the U.S., but Taj said Monday that the Iranian Football Federation is negotiating with FIFA to relocate the games to Mexico.
Iran will play Nigeria on March 27 and Costa Rica four days later in Antalya as part of a four-nation invitational tournament that had to be moved from Jordan because of the conflict in the Middle East.
“The national team is holding a training camp in Türkiye, and we will also play two friendly matches there,” FFIRI President Taj told Fars News Agency Wednesday. “We will boycott America, but we will not boycott the World Cup.”
Taj was speaking as he welcomed the players from the women’s national team back to Iran at the border crossing from Türkiye after their protracted journey from Australia.
All of the delegation, who were in Australia for the Women’s Asian Cup, were offered asylum by the host nation because of fears for their safety in Iran. Seven accepted, but only two remained.
U.S. President Donald Trump had urged Australia to offer the players asylum and later said that while the Iranian men were welcome to play in the U.S., it might not be appropriate for their “life and safety.”
Trump later stressed that any threat to the players would not come from the United States, but Taj, a former member of Iran’s hardline Revolutionary Guard, used the president’s statement as grounds for demanding a venue switch.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday that her country would be open to hosting Iran’s World Cup matches against New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt in June, but the final decision on any venue switch would rest with FIFA.
FIFA said it is in contact with FFIRI and “looks forward to all participating teams competing as per the match schedule announced on Dec. 6, 2025.”
Beau Busch, Asia-Pacific president of the football players’ union FIFPRO, said FIFA has a duty to ensure the safety of everyone involved at the World Cup.
“FIFA has an institutional responsibility to protect human rights,” the Australian told Reuters. “What’s critical is that FIFA undertake a really comprehensive human rights impact assessment and ensure that every single participant at the World Cup, every player, every fan, can be safe, and that any risks are identified and mitigated effectively.”
