FIFA President Gianni Infantino attended Iran’s friendly against Costa Rica in Turkey on Tuesday and told Agence France-Presse at halftime that Iran “will be at the World Cup,” despite uncertainty caused by the US and Israeli war with Iran.
“Iran will be at the World Cup. That’s why we’re here. We’re delighted because they’re a very, very strong team, I’m very happy,” Infantino said during the match near Antalya.
His attendance had not been announced in advance, and media were kept away from the section where he was sitting.
The visit came as Iran’s place at the 2026 World Cup has attracted attention because of the conflict and questions over whether the team will play its matches in the United States as scheduled.
The Iranian Football Federation said earlier this month that it was in talks with FIFA about moving the team’s World Cup matches from the United States to Mexico. The tournament will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada and is set to begin on June 11.
Iran is scheduled to open their Group G campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, then face Belgium in Los Angeles and Egypt in Seattle.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said Mexico is ready to host Iran’s first-round matches if needed.
Infantino had earlier said US President Donald Trump gave assurances that Iran’s team would still be allowed to take part, but Trump later said the Iranian squad should not travel to the tournament “for their own life and safety.”
Iran rejected those comments, saying no one could exclude its national team from the World Cup.
Tuesday’s match in Turkey was Iran’s second friendly in the country in recent days. The team also played Nigeria in the resort town of Belek on Friday.
Before that match, Iranian players wore black armbands and posed with school backpacks during the national anthem to honor victims of a strike on a primary school in the southern Iranian city of Minab on February 28, the first day of the Middle East war.
The strike killed at least 170 people, including students and teachers.
The New York Times reported that preliminary findings from a US military investigation indicated that a US Tomahawk cruise missile hit the school because of a targeting mistake.
© Agence France-Presse