Iran’s Embassy in Mexico said Tuesday that the country is negotiating with FIFA to move Iran’s World Cup matches from the U.S. to Mexico after U.S. President Donald Trump discouraged the team from attending the tournament, citing safety concerns.
As reported by The Associated Press, it was unclear whether such talks are happening with FIFA, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Iranian officials have previously said it is up to FIFA and the U.S. to keep the team safe during the World Cup.
Two weeks ago, Iran indicated that it might not participate in the 2026 event being held throughout North America following U.S. military attacks on the country that began Feb. 28.
The Embassy posted a statement attributed to Iranian soccer federation president Mehdi Taj saying Iran wants to move its group stage matches to Mexico to ensure the safety of players and officials.
“When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” the statement said. “We are currently negotiating with FIFA to hold Iran’s matches in the World Cup in Mexico.”
Iran is scheduled to play against New Zealand on June 16 and Belgium on June 21 in Inglewood, Calif., before finishing group play in Seattle against Egypt on June 26.
Moving World Cup matches would be unprecedented less than three months before the start of the event.
Trump said last week that the Iran team was welcome at the World Cup despite the ongoing war in the Middle East but “I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”
After Trump’s post the Iranian national team said on Instagram that “no one can exclude” it from the tournament and a government spokesman in Tehran stressed in it was the responsibility of FIFA and the U.S. as a co-host nation to keep players safe and secure.
“FIFA is the organizer of the World Cup,” Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said. “When warnings are issued at the highest level about the environment being unsafe for Iranian football players, this indicates that the host country apparently lacks the capacity and ability to provide security for such an important sporting event.”
Currently ranked No. 20 in the world, Iran has qualified for seven men's World Cups, including the most recent four tournaments.
