President Trump has said Iran is welcome to participate in this summer’s soccer World Cup, according to Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, the sport’s global governing body, who said that the two men had discussed the conflict in the Middle East during a meeting Tuesday evening.
The Iranian team qualified months ago for the World Cup, which is expected to be the biggest international sports event to be played in the United States for decades. But its participation has been the subject of much speculation since the United States and Israel began their military campaign against the Islamic Republic, which prompted Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes across the Persian Gulf and beyond.
Mr. Infantino, a close ally of Mr. Trump, said that he had met with the American president to discuss broader preparations for tournament, which is scheduled to start in under 100 days, with 48 teams playing across three countries. Mr. Trump, as part of that dialogue, “reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States,” Mr. Infantino said in a social media post.
Mr. Trump has not commented on the meeting with Mr. Infantino. The White House did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Iranian officials have suggested that the fighting has thrown their country’s participation was in doubt. And just a few days ago, Mr. Trump told Politico that he did not care if Iran participated in the competition.
The Iranian team’s three games in the initial, group stage are all scheduled to occur in the United States: two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle. Iran could meet the United States in a knockout game on July 3 in Dallas should both teams finish second in their first-round groups. Mexico and Canada are co-hosting the tournament.
Mr. Infantino has drawn criticism for his full-throated endorsement of Mr. Trump. He has showered the U.S. leader with gifts, including a hastily organized peace prize in December, and being part of his entourage on some overseas trips, including one to the Gulf last year that led to Mr. Infantino’s being late for FIFA’s own annual meeting.
In his social media post, Mr. Infantino said, “We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever, and I sincerely thank the President of the United States for his support, as it shows once again that Football Unites the World.”
Iran was among the first countries from the Asia qualifying region to secure a place for this World Cup. The tournament is held every four years, and the country has qualified for every World Cup since the edition that was held in Brazil in 2014. Iran’s first two matches this summer, against New Zealand and Belgium, are scheduled to be played in Los Angeles, which has a large Iranian diaspora. The Iranians’ final group game would be against Egypt in Seattle.
Even before the war in the Middle East began, relations between the United States and Iran had been causing difficulties for World Cup organizers. Half of Iran’s eight-member delegation to the tournament draw in Washington in December, including the president of its soccer federation, Mehdi Taj, were denied visas to attend. Last week, no Iranians were present for a planning workshop in Atlanta for officials from qualified teams. Qatari officials were also unable to get to that event.
Any ban on Iran’s participation would test FIFA’s rules, because host nations sign agreements to allow all qualified nations and officials to participate. In March 2023, FIFA stripped Indonesia of hosting a World Cup for players under 20 after a regional governor there refused to host Israel.
The conflict in the Middle East is causing strain to other World Cup preparations. Iraq has called for a delay to intercontinental playoffs in Mexico, which were to determine some of the remaining qualifiers for the tournament. Iraq has cited embassy closures and air traffic disruption, including the closure of its airspace, as potentially risking the participation of some of its players in those games.
Referring to the playoffs, Iraq’s national team coach, Graham Arnold, who is Australian, said, “It wouldn’t be our best team and we need our best team for the country’s biggest game in 40 years.”
“The Iraqi people are so passionate about the game that it is insane,” Mr. Arnold added. “The fact that they haven’t qualified for 40 years is probably the main reason I took this job. But at this stage with the airport being shut down we are working hard to try and find another alternative.”
A group of players on Iran’s women’s soccer team were granted asylum in Australia this week after a tournament there. On Wednesday, one of seven members of the team that had sought asylum withdrew her application, opting for return to Iran. The team drew scrutiny and criticism in Iran after not singing the national anthem in the aftermath of the US-Israeli attacks.
Tariq Panja is a global sports correspondent, focusing on stories where money, geopolitics and crime intersect with the sports world.
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