FIFA Negotiate With White House On Iran World Cup Participation

FIFA says it is focusing on “everybody participating” in this summer’s World Cup in the wake of the American military attack on Iran.

The U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes on major Iranian cities, including the capital Tehran, on Saturday after weeks of mounting diplomatic tension. Iran has retaliated with its own missile attacks on Israel and U.S. air bases in the Gulf region, including in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.

Iran secured qualification for its fourth successive World Cup in March 2025 and is due to play group-stage matches in June against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles and Egypt in Seattle. It is scheduled to be based at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona.

World Cup officials in Los Angeles told The Athletic they are monitoring developments.

Speaking at a meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in Wales, FIFA general secretary Mattias Grafstrom was asked by reporters about how the escalation in tensions between the U.S. and Iran could affect the World Cup.

He said: “I read the news the same way you did this morning. We had a meeting (the AGM) today and it would be premature to comment on that in detail.

“But of course we will monitor the developments around all issues around the world.

“We had a final draw in Washington where all teams participated and of course our focus is to have a safe World Cup with everybody participating.”

The White House World Cup taskforce declined to comment when approached by The Athletic. The White House, U.S. State Department and Iran Football Federation have also been contacted for comment.

Iranian nationals are already prohibited from traveling to the United States under U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel ban.

The ban, enacted in June 2025, carves out exemptions for “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event.” But last year, multiple Iranian delegates had visas denied ahead of December’s World Cup draw.

When asked why, Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House’s World Cup task force, said at the time that “every visa decision is a national security decision”.

Speaking to The Athletic after the draw, Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei mostly deferred to FIFA and declined to discuss politics.

When asked if he was concerned that members of the team and staff would not be able to get visas for the World Cup, he said — through his translator, an Iranian football federation official — that “everybody, FIFA, is trying. As they promised, they will do their best [so that] all the team, staff and the players [can] be present here for World Cup participation.”

The military action has affected sport in the region, although the doubles final of the Dubai Tennis Championships — part of the ATP Tour’s 500 series of events — did go ahead as scheduled.

The singles final, scheduled to be played between Daniil Medvedev and Tallon Griekspoor this afternoon, was cancelled after Griekspoor pulled out with an injury he sustained in yesterday’s semi-final.

Elsewhere in the region, football matches in Israel and Qatar were postponed as a result of the attacks.

The Qatar-based television broadcaster beIN Sports has also been forced to move the filming of its weekly live Premier League coverage to London, according to a post on X by its presenter Richard Keys.

Qatar is due to host the Finalissima 2026 between Argentina and Spain, the champions of South America and Europe respectively, on March 27.

The match between England’s Lions — the country’s second string cricket team — and Pakistan, which was scheduled to be played in Abu Dhabi, was cancelled. The England and Wles Cricket Board also confirmed that it would delay the departure of their women’s squad to a training camp in Abu Dhabi, which was scheduled to take place next week.

An ECB spokesperson was quoted by ESPN as saying: “We will continue to monitor and assess the situation and official advice in relation to the future of these trips”