New Delhi, March 11
FIFA chief Gianni Infantino said on Wednesday that he met with American President Donald Trump, who assured him Iran are "welcome" to take part in the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19.
Iran are scheduled to play three matches in the US, but their participation has been in doubt amid an escalating regional war. Iran, grouped with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand in Group G, will open the tournament against New Zealand on June 15 in Seattle, with further group games in Los Angeles and Atlanta.
In an Instagram post, Infantino said he and Trump discussed the status of preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup and also "spoke about the current situation in Iran"
"I met with the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump to discuss the status of preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup and the growing excitement as we are set to kick off in just 93 days," Infantino wrote in a post.
"We also spoke about the current situation in Iran, and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026. During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States," he added.
Iran qualified for their fourth successive World Cup by topping Group A in the third round of Asian qualifying last year.
Last week, in an interview with Politico, Trump said, "I really don't care, if Iran participates," adding that "I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They're running on fumes."
Following the start of military action, the president of the Iran Football Federation, Mehdi Taj has reportedly stated, "What is certain is that after these attacks, it's hard to look at the World Cup with hope."
- IANS
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