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Iran’s national team continues to prepare for the World Cup finals and has no intention of withdrawing from the tournament even if it does not go to the United States, said soccer chief Mehdi Taj on Wednesday.
Iran is one of the first countries to enter the final but its participation has been in doubt since the conflict between the Islamic Republic and the United States began in late February.
The tournament runs from June 11 to July 19 and is played in the US, Mexico and Canada.
Melli’s team is scheduled to play all three of its opening round matches in the US but Taj said on Monday the Iranian FA (FFIRI) was in talks with FIFA to move 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 due to the Middle East conflict.
“The national team is holding a training camp in Turkey, and we will also play two friendly matches there,” FFIRI President Taj was quoted as saying by Fars News Agency on Wednesday. “We will boycott America, but we will not boycott the World Cup.”
Less than 100 days before the start of the games and the World Cup is facing a geopolitical crisis. The United States is bombing Iran, and Iran’s soccer team is still going to play games on American soil. As CBC’s Laurence Watt reports, FIFA says it is looking into what is happening but some teams are now losing hope that the World Cup will not be disrupted.
Taj was speaking on Wednesday when he welcomed the players of the women’s national team back to Iran at the border crossing from Turkey after their long journey from Australia.
A group of women provided shelter
The entire team, which was in Australia for the Asian Women’s Cup, was granted asylum by the host country due to fears for their safety in Iran. When seven accepted us, only two remained.
US President Donald Trump urged Australia to grant asylum to the players and later said that while Iranian men are welcome to play in the US, it may not be worth their “health and safety”.
Trump later insisted that any threat to the players would not come from the United States, but Taj — a former member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard — used the president’s statement as grounds for seeking a change of location.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Tuesday her country would be open to hosting Iran’s World Cup matches against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in June, but the final say on any change of venue would rest with FIFA.
Football’s governing body said it was in contact with FFIRI but “looks forward to all participating teams competing according to the schedule announced on December 6, 2025.”
Beau Busch, the Asia-Pacific president of the football players’ union FIFPRO, said it is FIFA’s duty to ensure the safety of everyone participating 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 thorough human rights impact assessment, and is conducting an assessment to ensure that everyone involved in the World Cup, every player, every fan, can be safe, and that any risks are identified and mitigated effectively.”
