Despite a war, visa denials, and two months of political noise, Iran is on track for the 2026 World Cup. A face-to-face meeting between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Iranian federation officials in Turkey last week was the clearest signal yet that this thing is happening.
The Iranians came away upbeat. Infantino promised he was "at your service, and if you need help, I will provide it" — including help arranging a pre-tournament training camp, possibly back in Turkey in the coming weeks. That's a FIFA president personally managing the logistics of getting a wartime nation to a football tournament. That's not standard procedure.
Mexico was never a real option
The chatter about moving Iran's games to co-host Mexico has effectively died. Infantino killed it publicly and repeatedly — telling Mexican broadcaster N+Univision there is no Plan B, only Plan A. The Iranian federation's own readout of the Antalya meeting didn't even raise the subject. That tells you something.
And practically, it was never going to happen. FIFA has sold roughly 200,000 tickets across Iran's three group games in Los Angeles and Seattle. Flights booked. Hotels paid. Sponsors committed. The financial and logistical cost of a last-minute venue switch would be staggering, and there's no precedent for it at a World Cup. Anyone who had Iran's group-stage odds shifting to a Mexican venue was always reading the situation wrong.
Iran opens on June 15 against New Zealand at the LA Rams' stadium in Inglewood, then faces Belgium six days later — the Group G top seed — before wrapping the group stage against Egypt in Seattle on June 26. A tough draw made even harder by the circumstances surrounding the squad.
A team preparing under extraordinary pressure
Most Iran players haven't had competitive football since the Persian Gulf Pro League was suspended when the war began. Their warmup against Nigeria ended in a 2-1 defeat. Then they thrashed Costa Rica 5-0 — both games played behind closed doors in Antalya, the squad holding up children's backpacks and photos of war victims during the national anthems before the Costa Rica match.
Star striker Sardar Azmoun wasn't there. He was reportedly left out on orders from state authorities after posting a photo greeting UAE political leaders. That's the kind of selection pressure no football coach should be navigating three weeks before a World Cup.
The Iranian delegation is due at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson no later than June 10. The camp director confirmed preparations are continuing. Several federation officials, including president Mehdi Taj, were denied U.S. visas — that problem hasn't been resolved.
The uncertainty is real. But Iran hasn't withdrawn its World Cup entry. FIFA isn't budging on the schedule. And Infantino watched them beat Costa Rica 5-0 from the stands in Turkey. Right now, that's about as much signal as you're going to get.
