FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Wednesday that the “Iranian team is coming, for sure,” to play in the World Cup in the United States this summer.
Speaking at CNBC’s Invest in America Forum in Washington, he said, “We hope that by then, of course, the situation will be a peaceful situation. As I said, that would definitely help. But Iran has to come.”
The comments come as peace talks between Iran and the United States have not yet resumed, and a cease-fire is set to expire next week. President Trump has said that it would not be “appropriate” for Iran to participate in the tournament this summer and that it may be a risk for the players’ “own life and safety.”
It remains unclear whether Iran will pull out of the tournament. Iran’s sports minister, Ahmad Donyamali, told state TV in February the team “certainly” would not participate after strikes by the United States and Israel killed Iran’s supreme leader.
In March, Iran said it was negotiating with FIFA to move its matches from the United States to Mexico, which is co-hosting the tournament along with Canada. But FIFA made it clear that it had no plans to do so.
“Sports should be outside of politics,” Mr. Infantino said at the CNBC event.
Iran was drawn to play two group-stage games in Los Angeles, home to one of the world’s largest Iranian diasporas, and one in Seattle. The United States is in a different group and could play Iran only if both teams advance in the tournament.
In 1998, Iran earned its first World Cup victory by knocking out the United States in a memorable 2-1 win that drew thousands of celebrants into the streets of Tehran. In 2022, the United States squeaked by Iran 1-0 in a dramatic match to advance to the round of 16.
Ashley Ahn covers breaking news for The Times from New York.
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