The 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico will kick off on June 10th, local time. Under the current geopolitical situation, the Iranian men’s football team has become one of the most anticipated teams in this tournament. The Iranian team will face New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15th, starting their group stage match in Group G. Subsequently, they will play against Belgium at the same venue on June 21st, and then face Egypt in Seattle on June 26th.
On June 10 local time, Reuters reported that in response to criticism from the outside world regarding the participation of the Iranian team, Iranian media cited Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali as saying that if unauthorized flags appear during the World Cup or people shout slogans targeting the Iranian national team, the Iranian team will stop competing.
We have informed FIFA, and if the Iranian national team's flag or chants targeting (Iran) appear on the field during the World Cup, the team captain will have the authority to halt the match. This was said by Dōnya Ma Li on June 9th, local time.
June 6, 2026, Antalya, Turkey. Before the opening of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, Iran national team took a group photo. IC Photo
He added, "We have received guarantees that no disruptive events will occur during the matches against the Egyptian team."
Previously, the Iranian Football Federation and the Egyptian Football Federation urged FIFA to ban any activities related to “LGBTQ+” during the matches held in Seattle. The local organizers intended to make this match a “Pride Match” in conjunction with Seattle’s “Pride Weekend” events for sexual minorities.
In April of this year, protesters gathered outside the FIFA conference held in Vancouver, Canada, calling for a ban on the participation of the Iranian team. They claimed that the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps represented Iran, not the people of Iran.
Currently, the Iranian team also faces challenges related to event organization. The Iranian Football Federation stated that their ticket quotas were canceled a few days before the event, resulting in fans who had already made arrangements being unable to watch the team's matches on-site.
Earlier this month, the Iranian Football Association announced that all members of the Iranian men's football team have obtained visas to Mexico, and the team has completed all necessary entry procedures.
Previously, due to difficulties in obtaining U.S. visas, FIFA approved the change of the Iranian team's accommodation during this World Cup from Tucson, Arizona in the United States to Tijuana, Mexico. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto previously stated that the United States does not wish for the Iranian team to stay overnight within U.S. territory during the tournament.
The Iranian team training in Tijuana is not allowed to enter the United States until one day before each match. This arrangement was made against the backdrop of geopolitical conflicts that add complexity to the tournament.
