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In the coming weeks, Iranian soccer officials will meet with FIFA in Zurich to discuss Iran’s national team’s participation in June’s World Cup in the United States amid rising political and security tensions.
“We have many issues to discuss,” Iran’s football federation chief Mehdi Taj said after returning to Tehran on Friday from a brief visit to Canada, referring to an upcoming meeting with FIFA officials.
According to a source familiar with the matter, FIFA Secretary General Matthias Grafstrom has invited the Iranian delegation to the federation’s headquarters in Zurich by the May 20 deadline to discuss logistical and organizational arrangements for Iran’s participation in the tournament.
The match comes three weeks before Iran’s national team arrives in the United States for a training camp in Tucson, Arizona in preparation for its group stage matches in Inglewood, California and Seattle.
Taj emphasized that his country’s position is “firm and clear” regarding participation in the tournament, adding that the Iranian federation “will soon hold an official meeting with FIFA to settle the outstanding issues.”
The developments come as questions mount over Iran’s ability to qualify for the World Cup after the February 28 US-led military strikes cast a shadow over the region’s sporting and political landscape.
Iran was absent from the meeting at FIFA’s annual conference in Vancouver on Thursday, being the only country among the 211 member associations not to participate in the meeting.
However, FIFA President Gianni Infantino emphasized in his opening speech that “FIFA’s position has not changed and Iran will participate in the World Cup as planned.”
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In Washington, US President Donald Trump announced that he supports the participation of the Iranian team, saying: “If Gianni says it, I agree,” showing his confidence in the FIFA president’s assurances.
Organizers of the tournament face many challenges related to visas and security issues, especially for fans from African and Asian countries, in addition to the Iran file, which remains the most sensitive.
Mehdi Taj and two Iranian federation officials ran into trouble when they arrived in Toronto this week on their way to Vancouver, where Canadian authorities have been questioned about their involvement with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. After a two-hour detention, the delegation decided to return to Istanbul without completing the journey, despite having valid entry visas.
“We weren’t officially deported, but that’s how it happened in practice,” Taj told Iranian media, explaining that Canadian authorities allowed them to leave voluntarily after lengthy discussions.
Last December, the United States denied Taj a visa to attend the World Cup in Washington, D.C., where Infantino presented President Trump with the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize.
Iran’s national team will play group stage matches against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt from June 15 to 26 in Los Angeles and Seattle stadiums. If he takes the runner-up position in the group, he can meet the American team in the round of 32 on July 3 at the “Dallas Cowboys” stadium.
