FIFA has announced that the Iranian national team will participate in the 2026 World Cup.

Amidst speculation that Iran might withdraw from the 2026 World Cup due to political reasons, the FIFA president confirmed that Iran will participate in the tournament as originally planned.

"Iran will participate in the 2026 World Cup, and the Iranian national team will compete in the United States. The reason is very simple, ladies and gentlemen: we must be united."

"We must bring people together, and that is my responsibility," Gianni Infantino said in his opening address at the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, Canada.

Furthermore, the FIFA president specifically emphasized that Iran's matches would take place in the United States. He also completely rejected the idea of ​​moving these matches to the two co-hosting countries, Canada and Mexico.

Previously, Iran had considered changing the schedule to play three group stage matches in Mexico. However, FIFA categorically rejected this proposal.

President Infantino affirmed that the core objective of the World Cup is to unite nations through football, regardless of political differences.

Despite being the focus of discussions, Iran was the only country absent from the 211 members attending this congress.

According to ESPN, the issue stemmed from a problem when a member of the Iranian delegation was denied entry by Canadian immigration officials.

Although the remaining two delegates were allowed into Canada, the entire Iranian delegation decided not to attend the FIFA Congress.

Another noteworthy detail is the reaction from the host country, the United States. When asked about Iran coming to the US to compete, US President Donald Trump said he had "no problem" with the Iranian team participating in the biggest tournament on the planet this year.