U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that his FIFA counterpart, Gianni Infantino, told him he could decide whatever he wanted about allowing or not the Iranian national team to enter the country to play in the World Cup to be held from June 11, 2026 on U.S. soil, Mexico and Canada.
“Gianni (Infantino) is fantastic. He’s a friend of mine, and we talked about it; he said, ‘Do what you want. You can accept them. You can not accept them. You don’t have to have them (in the country),'” Trump assured at a White House event.
Trump reacts to Iran case: accepts FIFA decision
Donald Trump responded in this way to being informed that, a few hours earlier, Infantino had confirmed that, despite the war launched by the U.S. against the Islamic republic in February, Iran will take part in the 2026 World Cup.
“Well, if Gianni has decided, then that’s fine with me,” he said upon learning of the announcement Thursday at the 76th FIFA Congress in the Canadian city of Vancouver.
“They probably have a good team. Do they? Do they know if they do? I have no idea. In fact, it would be hard to believe,” Trump then joked.
Asked what would happen if the Iranian team ends up winning the tournament, Trump replied:
“Well, if they win we’ll have to worry about that.”
Despite Infantino’s announcement, the Iranian federation was not present at the FIFA congress.
The president of his federation, Mehdi Taj, was expected to be present, but, as reported by Tasnim news agency, he had to return to Iran with the rest of his expedition.
For “inappropriate behavior by immigration officials” at the Toronto airport.
Iran qualifies for the World Cup, but political tensions cast doubt on its path in the U.S.
Iran qualified after topping Group A in the third round of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifying.
In the World Cup they are in Group G with three matches, scheduled in Los Angeles (against New Zealand and Belgium) and in Seattle (against Egypt).
However, their participation in the tournament was complicated by the escalation of warfare that began last February between the United States, Israel and Iran.
In early March, Mehdi Taj said he did not know whether his national team would be able to play in the World Cup matches after the U.S. and Israeli bombing of his country.
If Gianni has decided it, then it's fine with me
Donald Trump
Iranian Sports Minister Ahman Donyamali went so far as to assure that the Persian team would not participate in the 2026 World Cup.
And Infantino has sought to calm the mood by assuring that the team will play its group stage matches in the U.S., as planned.
Recently, the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, indicated that there will be no problem in authorizing the entry of the Iranian team into the country.
But he noted that technical personnel from the Islamic republic’s federation, which Washington says has ties to the Revolutionary Guard, will not be allowed access.
With information from EFE
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