The United States will set a precedent by hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches of Iran, a country that was at war or was just emerging from one, after both countries' leaders on Monday announced reaching an agreement to end the conflict that began in late February.
A unique situation will unfold at the 2026 FIFA World Cup: never before has a host nation been in a state of active war—or just emerging from one—with another country participating in the tournament.
The US, one of the tournament's co-hosts along with Canada and Mexico, was at war until recently with Iran, which is preparing to compete in the event.
A sports facility in the US state of Arizona was awaiting the Iranian football team before the FIFA World Cup. But the team's training facilities were relocated from the US to Mexico.
Iran will face New Zealand on June 15 in Los Angeles in their first Group G game.
In Group G, Iran will also play against Belgium and Egypt.
If the war with Iran does not end, security concerns may arise during the tournament in the US.
Since the conflicts in the war between the US and Iran were entirely within the Iranian and Middle Eastern region, the cancellation of the tournament in North America was not considered.
On the other hand, tensions between the two countries could well lead to developments that result in security breaches during the tournament between Iranian fans visiting the country for the World Cup and the American team's supporters.
While some tournaments have been canceled in the past due to wars, there has never been a situation where the host country and the participant were at war.
The 1942 and 1946 World Cup tournaments were canceled due to World War II.
Before announcing their engagement in World Cup games in the US, Iranian officials stated that the national team's engagement in the North American tournament was "impossible" due to US and Israeli attacks.
FIFA rejected Iran's requests to relocate its matches to Mexico or Canada, stating that matches must take place in US cities as planned.
In recent months, Iran has been awaiting assurances from FIFA regarding its participation in the World Cup, where it will play their matches in the US.
Iranian Minister of Sports and Youth Ahmad Donyamali had previously stated about Iran's negotiations with FIFA to play its matches in Mexico instead of the US.
"Our request to FIFA to play our matches in Mexico instead of the US remains valid. However, we have not yet received a response. If accepted, Iran's participation in the World Cup will be certain. But FIFA has not yet responded," he said.
US President Donald Trump had previously warned that the Iranian national team would not be safe to compete in the tournament.
"According to FIFA's relevant regulations, security must be ensured in the country in question," Iran argued in response.
While Iran's matches against the US appear unlikely, it was stated that Iran would agree to participate if the necessary security guarantees were provided.
Iran stated that FIFA must guarantee the security of any national team participating in the World Cup in a country; otherwise, the federation should refuse to allow World Cup matches to be held in the United States.
The Iranian Football Federation has accused the US of sabotaging the presence of Iranian fans at the World Cup, announcing that the ticket quota allocated to the federation for sale to national team supporters has been cancelled.
The federation issued a statement alleging that "the US is sabotaging the presence of Iranian fans" during the Iranian national team's group stage matches.
The statement noted that, in accordance with FIFA procedures, approximately 8% of the ticket capacity for each World Cup match is allocated to the federations of participating teams, allowing fans to purchase tickets through official channels.
The federation reported that it had intended to sell tickets for national team matches based on these same principles. However, the quota reserved for Iranian fans was revoked, making it currently impossible to sell tickets through the federation.
The statement further declared that blocking Iranian fans from accessing their legally and officially allocated ticket quota constitutes “an action contrary to the spirit of international competitions and the principle of equality among participating nations.”
Speaking at a press conference before the opening match in Mexico, FIFA President Gianni Infantino addressed questions regarding Iran—which had faced visa issues with the US and subsequently relocated its training camp to Mexico—by saying, "I am very happy about the situation with Iran.
"People were saying Iran would not be able to come, but I promised them they would. I told them that if I had to go to Tehran by bus and bring them here myself, I would do it. Their response was, 'If necessary, we will get on a bus and come ourselves. We qualified, and we want to play.' That is the spirit of football."
Recalling his visit to the Iranian national team in Türkiye last March, Infantino remarked: “I do not know who else could have ensured Iran were able to come and play under these circumstances. The stadium will be full when Iran play, and I hope for a positive atmosphere. Because football is about people forgetting their own realities and focusing on a match and a team.”
The Iranian team have been practicing at Caliente Stadium in Tijuana, Mexico, where they will stay for the 2026 FIFA World Cup before flying to the US for the matches.
Iran had a visa crisis with the US, the host country for their upcoming matches.
Following an extensive review process, the US granted visas to the players, head coach Amir Ghalenoi, and some members of the technical staff, but did not approve the visa applications for 13 individuals within the team's administrative and technical personnel.
After calling on FIFA to intervene regarding the visa issue, Iran moved its training camp from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, due to the prolonged uncertainty. The team will still be required to travel to the US for its three group-stage matches. Iran's Group G opponents are Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand.
Iran will be making its seventh appearance at the World Cup. Set to compete against Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand in Group G, Iran had previously announced it would not participate in the event due to attacks by the US and Israel. However, following a ceasefire, Iran announced that it would take part in the tournament.
The 23rd World Cup, organized by the US, Mexico, and Canada, will take place from June 11 to July 19. Iran will play its group matches in the US.
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