Boycott or No Boycott for Iran? FIFA Refuses to Move Their 2026 World Cup Games Outside the U.S.
It has been a turbulent couple of weeks for Iran in every sense of the word. Since the start of the military conflict between America and Israel against Iran, doubts have been raised about the participation of the latter nation in the FIFA World Cup. The Persian Lions are set to play this upcoming June in Seattle and Los Angeles, against New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt, respectively. The Iranian team’s concerns grew after President Trump declared on Truth Social that “I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.” Unfortunately for Team Melli, negotiations to play outside of the US have been denied by FIFA.
Soccer has been at the forefront of the mediatic transmission of the conflict in Iran. Controversy arose when the Iranian women’s soccer team refused to sing the national anthem in a match against Korea at the Asia Cup, held in Australia earlier this month. Concerns for their safety resulted in the players being granted asylum in Australia, although they ultimately decided to return to Iran despite the aforementioned events. Now the focus has once more returned to the men’s team, as preparations for the FIFA World Cup are being finalized.
Iran has been actively negotiating the location of its matches with FIFA; nevertheless, there has been no change in the schedule. The Iranian team is concerned for the safety and well-being of its athletes on American soil. Despite expressing their concerns and presenting alternatives, FIFA’s answer was a definitive no. Moreover, FIFA released a statement earlier this week, stressing the fact that games would continue as planned. FIFA President Gianni Infantino was relentless, declaring that “We have a schedule. We will soon have the 48 competing teams confirmed, and we want the FIFA World Cup to go ahead as scheduled.” Given that the well-being of the Iranian players is not in any way guaranteed in the US, this decision seems to go against FIFA’s commitment “to using the power of football and the FIFA World Cup to build bridges and promote peace.” As Infantino stated in the same meeting.
This year’s FIFA World Cup is being held in three different countries. President Claudia Sheinbaum indicated that Mexico would be willing to host Iran’s matches, though the final decision rests with FIFA. While significant resources have been invested in organizing the tournament, player safety should remain a top priority, and with Iran’s team’s well-being in question, moving their games to one of the other two host countries should have been the natural decision. FIFA’s efforts to promote peace are virtually meaningless if they cannot provide protection to players from a country that is in active conflict against one of the hosting nations.
