Trump says Iran will be 'welcome' at the 2026 World Cup, says Infantino | OneFootball

The president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, stated this Wednesday (11) that the President of the United States, Donald Trump, promised during a conversation on Tuesday that he would welcome the Iranian team without obstacles at the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in North America.

“During our conversation, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is undoubtedly welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States,” which is organizing the World Cup with Mexico and Canada, wrote the official on his Instagram account.

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Infantino mentioned for the first time “the situation in Iran,” without explaining whether the uncertainty regarding the team's participation in the World Cup (June 11 to July 19) was motivated by the American and Israeli attacks on February 28 against the country, which triggered a war in the Middle East.

A few hours after the start of the offensive, the president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, mentioned the possibility of a boycott of the competition but explained that the final decision would be up to the country's “sports authorities.”

Analysts also mentioned the possibility that the U.S. government might refuse to host the Iranians for security reasons, as Iran's three group stage matches are scheduled for major cities like Los Angeles and Seattle.

“We all need, more than ever, an event like the FIFA World Cup to unite people, and I sincerely thank the President of the United States for his support, as it once again demonstrates that football unites the world,” Infantino insisted.

The FIFA president, the only sports official to attend Trump's inauguration ceremony, regularly demonstrates his closeness to the American leader. Last year, Infantino presented the American president with a “FIFA Peace Award,” the criteria for which were never revealed.

If Iran does not participate in the world's biggest football competition, it will be the first time this has happened since France and India withdrew from the 1950 World Cup held in Brazil.

Last week, the Iranian women's team participated in the Asian Cup, held in Australia. After the team's elimination from the tournament, several players sought asylum in the Oceanic country – Iranian state television criticized the athletes for not singing the anthem before one of the matches played.

Asylum in Australia

Five players, including captain Zahra Ghanbari, fled the team's hotel and sought asylum with Australian authorities, the country's government announced. According to local media, at least two other team members also requested to stay in the country, but Australia's Interior Minister, Tony Burke, stated that one of them changed her mind.

In the Australian Parliament, Burke said he was informed that a member of the delegation “had spoken with some of the teammates who left the country and changed her mind.”

“The colleagues advised and encouraged her to contact the Iranian embassy,” the minister said.

Burke explained that during contact with the embassy, the location of the refugees was revealed, prompting the group to be moved to a safe location.

The rest of the team arrived in Malaysia this Wednesday. The delegation is at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur and is awaiting the possibility of returning to Iran, in a war context that has led to the cancellation of many flights in this region.

Burke stated that at Sydney airport, each player had the opportunity to request asylum privately, without the presence of their companions.

*With content from AFP

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.