The Iranian national team has publicly stated that “no one can exclude it” from the tournament. Iran arrives as one of Asia's most consistent teams, with seven World Cup participations and appearances in the last four editions. Meanwhile, Iraq is traveling to Monterrey to play in the playoff. The Iraqi team, in a playoff stage for the World Cup and which had expressed possible difficulties leaving the Middle East amid the war, revealed this Saturday that its representative team left for the city of Monterrey. “With God's blessing, our national team departs for Monterrey,” they wrote on social media. It was speculated that Iraq could have been the team to enter the World Cup directly if Iran had withdrawn. The Iranian team maintains its path to the 2026 World Cup despite political tension with the United States and confirmed a training camp in Turkey, as well as friendly matches before the tournament to be held in North America. The president of the Iranian federation, Mahdi Taj, ratified that the national team will continue with its sports planning for the FIFA World Cup 2026, which will have the United States, Mexico, and Canada as hosts. “We are preparing to participate in the World Cup. We boycott the United States, but we do not boycott the World Cup,” declared the executive in statements collected by the Mehr agency. The plan includes a training camp in Turkey and the playing of friendly matches, although rivals have not been defined. New Zealand executive Andrew Pragnell considered the adjustment “not remotely feasible,” due to the impact on the organization. Although Iranian officials have questioned the viability of playing in the United States, the federation has not withdrawn its World Cup registration. The government itself has indicated that it is up to FIFA and the host country to guarantee the team's security. FIFA reiterated that it maintains contact with all federations, including Iran, but does not contemplate modifying the calendar announced in December 2025. President Gianni Infantino was direct: “We have a schedule… we want the World Cup to take place as scheduled.” The possible relocation of matches would imply an unprecedented change just months before the tournament and would generate logistical complications, from ticketing to fan displacements. Even other federations show resistance. Following the bombings initiated at the end of February by the United States and Israel—which caused the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—the Iranian government initially raised the possibility of not attending the tournament. Recent declarations, however, show a different stance: to compete, yes, but with reservations about playing on U.S. territory. Messages have been issued from Tehran questioning the team's security in the United States. It was even cited that, given high-level warnings, “we will definitely not travel to the United States” if there are no guarantees. Iran wanted to move its World Cup matches to Mexico. After this, Iranian authorities negotiated with FIFA the possibility of moving their Group G matches to Mexico. The World Cup calendar includes matches against New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt in U.S. cities such as Los Angeles and Seattle. Iran's ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, expressed diplomatic interest: “We love the Mexican people very much, and for us, the best situation is that our matches are played in Mexico.” President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed that the issue was under analysis: “They are seeing with FIFA if it is feasible... we will inform in due course.” FIFA maintains the calendar unchanged despite pressure from Iran. Taj made these announcements during an official event at the Bazargan border, following the return of the women's team from the Asian Cup. Political conflict marks Iran's stance towards the United States. In confirmation of the calendar, the Iraqi team will play against the winner of Bolivia vs. Suriname in the playoff at the Rayados' 'Steel Giant'.
