Iran demands respect as it lays out guarantees needed for 2026 participation

Iran has demanded a series of guarantees from FIFA and the United States over its participation in the 2026 World Cup this summer.

The Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) said its national team would compete at the tournament “without any retreat from our beliefs, culture and convictions”, while insisting the hosts “must take our concerns into account”.

Earlier this month, Canada denied FFIRI president Mehdi Taj entry to the country before the FIFA congress, citing his links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a group which is listed as a terrorist organisation in Canada. For last year’s World Cup draw in Washington D.C., some members of the Iranian delegation were also denied visas by US authorities.

The Iranians are demanding guarantees that all players, coaches and officials travelling with the team will receive visas, including those who completed military service with the IRGC. They also want respect for Iran’s flag and national anthem and demand enhanced security during the tournament.

FIFA handles the competition’s internal operations and protocols, but sovereign US law dictates all matters of entry, security clearance, and border control. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Iranian footballers will be welcome at the tournament,but warned that individuals with links to the IRGC could still face restrictions on entering the United States.

Iran’s participation in the World Cup has however been in doubt ever since the United Stated has led an attack on the country. It’s led to the unprecedented situation of a World Cup host bombing a World Cup finalist, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino has repeatedly offered reassurances that Iran will play in the global finals.

Iran has not indicated that it will withdraw from the tournament.

Iran initially requested that their games be switched to Mexico but FIFA ruled this out. One solution that could keep Iran out of the cauldron of US publicity and law enforcement in the group stage is to base the team just over the Mexican border in Tijuana.

Iran play two group games at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and one at Lumen Field in Seattle. LA is less than an hour’s flight from Tijuana and LAX or Long Beach airport are a 15-minute bus ride to the SoFi.

Iran are currently scheduled to base in Tuscon, Arizona, with the team expected to arrive there to prepare in early January.