"We will boycott America, but we will not boycott the World Cup. The national team is holding a training camp in Turkiye, and we will also play two friendly matches there. Team Melli are scheduled to play all three of their opening-round group matches in the US, but the Iranian FA was negotiating with FIFA to have them moved to Mexico."
"Iran were one of the first nations to qualify for the finals but their participation has been in doubt since the conflict between the Islamic republic and the United States began in late February. The Iranian national team are continuing to prepare for the FIFA World Cup 2026 finals and have no intention of pulling out of the tournament but do intend to boycott matches in United States."
Iran qualified early for the 2026 FIFA World Cup but faces uncertainty due to escalating tensions with the United States since late February. The Iranian Football Federation, led by President Mehdi Taj, confirmed the team will not withdraw from the tournament but intends to boycott all matches held in the United States. The federation is negotiating with FIFA to relocate Iran's three group-stage matches from the US to Mexico. Iran continues World Cup preparations through training camps in Turkey and friendly matches against Nigeria and Costa Rica. The tournament runs from June 11 to July 19 across the US, Mexico, and Canada.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]