FIFA president Gianni Infantino was present at a friendly match in Turkey on Tuesday between Iran and Costa Rica. Iran’s participation in this year’s World Cup remains uncertain amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
The Iranian Football Federation is currently in discussions with FIFA to potentially move the country’s World Cup fixtures from the United States to Mexico. This consideration arises from the ongoing conflict involving the US and Israel against Iran. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has expressed her country’s readiness to host Iran’s first-round matches at the 2026 World Cup if relocation becomes necessary.
Initially, Infantino had conveyed that former US President Donald Trump assured Iran’s team would be welcomed in the tournament venues, which include Los Angeles for matches against New Zealand and Belgium, and Seattle for the game versus Egypt. However, Trump later contradicted this by advising that the Iranian team should avoid traveling to the event “for their own life and safety.” In response, Iran firmly rejected Trump’s remarks, asserting that no one can bar their national team from participating in the World Cup.
Infantino’s attendance at Tuesday’s match near Antalya was unannounced beforehand, and media access to the stand where he sat was restricted. This friendly followed another match Iran played against Nigeria in the Turkish town of Belek last Friday.
During the Nigeria game, Iranian players wore black armbands and held school backpacks during the national anthem to honor victims of a recent airstrike on a primary school in Iran. The attack, which occurred on February 28 in the southern city of Minab, resulted in at least 170 fatalities, including students and teachers. Preliminary findings from a US military investigation, the New York Times, suggest that a US Tomahawk cruise missile mistakenly struck the school due to targeting errors.
