Tehran, Iran. Iran’s football federation is in discussions with FIFA about moving the team’s World Cup matches from the United States to Mexico due to safety concerns, federation president Mehdi Taj said on Monday.
Safety concerns after strikes
Iran’s participation in the tournament was thrown into doubt after co-hosts the United States launched joint air strikes at the country along with Israel.
U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that Iran were welcome to participate but suggested it might not be appropriate for them to play in the U.S. “for their own life and safety”.
“When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” Taj said in a post on the Iranian embassy in Mexico’s X account. “We are negotiating with FIFA to hold Iran’s World Cup matches in Mexico.”
FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tournament schedule and opponents
Iran secured a trip to a fourth successive World Cup by topping their group in the third round of Asian qualifying last year.
The tournament is due to kick off on June 11 in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with Iran scheduled to play two group matches in Los Angeles and one in Seattle. Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand are Iran’s opponents in Group G.
The organising committees for matches in Los Angeles and Seattle did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside normal U.S. business hours.
Potential logistical changes
Shifting Iran’s fixtures to Mexico would be a significant logistical change for the tournament. Relocating matches for security or geopolitical reasons is not unprecedented.
What impact would moving Iran’s matches to Mexico have on the tournament’s logistics and scheduling?