Mexican president confirms decision on Iran’s request to move FIFA World Cup matches out of US
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has confirmed FIFA's decision on requests to move Iran's World Cup fixtures away from the US.
As the final weeks of the season approach, football fans will already be looking ahead to what promises to be an exciting summer with the World Cup kicking off across North America.
The tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026, with the USA, Canada and Mexico all hosting matches.
In total, a record 48 national teams are set to take part in the World Cup this summer, split into 12 groups of four teams.
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Among the national teams qualified for the tournament is Iran, who have expressed concerns about the safety of their matches set to be played in the US due to the ongoing conflict between the two countries.
To deal with this issue, Iran’s Football Federation (FFIRI) asked the FIFA, football's global governing body, to the nation's games out of the US, allowing them to instead to place in Mexico.
But now Mexican President Sheinbaum has revealed that this request has been denied, with FIFA citing logistical impediments as the reason why games cannot be moved at such short notice.
“FIFA ultimately decided that the matches cannot be moved from their original venues,” Sheinbaum said at a news conference in Mexico City.
“It [relocation] would make logistics too complicated, and this decision was taken by FIFA,” she added.
Iran were one of the first teams to qualify for the World Cup, claiming their spot back in March 2025 by finishing top of their Asian qualifying group.
They are currently set to play in Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand.
As it stands, Iran will play their opening match against New Zealand on June 16 at the SoFi Stadium in California before facing Belgium at the same venue on June 21.
Their final match is also due to take place on the US West Coast, as are set to play Egypt at Seattle's Lumen Field on June 27.
Mexico had expressed a willingness to host Iran’s fixtures following US President Donald Trump stating that it would not be appropriate for Iran to participate in the World Cup “for their own life and safety”.
However, Sheinbaum’s comments confirm the feelings of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who stated that Iran's games would go ahead as planned following meetings with Iranian football players, coaches and officials in Turkey on March 31.
"Iran will be at the World Cup," Infantino told AFP. "We're delighted because they're a very, very strong team, I'm very happy.
"The matches will be played where they are supposed to be, according to the draw.
"I've seen the team, I've spoken to the players and the coach, so everything is fine."
SPORTbible have reached out to FIFA for comment.
Topics: FIFA, Football, FIFA World Cup, Donald Trump
Ben McCrum