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FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Iran’s participation in the World Cup would be welcomed by US President Donald Trump, who he said met to discuss the upcoming tournament amid ongoing wars in the Middle East.
Infantino said Wednesday that Trump “reiterated that he welcomes the Iranian team” to the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada in June and July.
Infantino, head of the international soccer governing body, wrote on Instagram that during a meeting to discuss preparations for the tournament, “we also discussed the current situation in Iran.”
“During the talks, President Trump reiterated that Iranian teams are of course welcome to compete in tournaments in the United States,” he wrote.
All of Iran’s group matches are scheduled to be held in the United States.
“We all need events like the FIFA World Cup that bring people together now more than ever, and I sincerely appreciate the support of the President of the United States as it shows once again that soccer brings the world together,” Infantino said.
The comments marked the first time that Infantino, who created the FIFA Peace Prize in December and awarded it to Trump, acknowledged the war in the Middle East.
The United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. The attack killed 1,255 people and injured more than 12,000 in Iran in the first 12 days of the war.
The Iranian government responded by firing waves of missiles and drones at Israel, several military bases in the Middle East where U.S. forces operate, and regional infrastructure.
Iran was the only country not to take part in the FIFA planning summit for World Cup participants in Atlanta, Georgia, last week, deepening questions about whether its soccer team will play on U.S. soil this summer as a regional civil war rages on.
President Trump told the online news magazine Politico that he was not concerned about Iran’s participation because it is a “country that has lost very badly.”
If the U.S. refuses to host an Iranian team, it could risk being removed from the list of World Cup hosts by FIFA.
That’s what happened in Indonesia three years ago, when the country rejected Israel’s participation in the Under-20 Men’s World Cup, eight months after the Israeli team qualified. FIFA removed Indonesia and moved the tournament to Argentina weeks before the scheduled first match.
The head of Iran’s Football Federation has questioned the team’s participation in the sporting extravaganza following the defection of several Iranian female soccer players during the Asian Cup in Australia this week.
“If the World Cup was like this, who in their right mind would send their national team to a place like this?” Mehdi Taj asked on Iranian state television.
Fans from Iran had already been barred from entering the United States under the first wave of travel bans announced by the Trump administration in December.
Iran will play two of their World Cup group stage matches in Los Angeles and one in Seattle.
If the United States and Iran finish second in their respective groups, the two countries could face off in an elimination match on July 3 in Dallas.
If Iran withdraws from the quadrennial sport, it would be the first time since France and India withdrew from the 1950 Brazil finals.
This week, the FIFA World Cup chief operating officer said the tournament was “too big” to be postponed due to the global disruption caused by the US and Israel’s war against Iran.
Heimo Shirgi said FIFA continues to closely monitor the Iran war.
“We are basically dealing with it day by day and at some stage we will find a solution,” Silgi said. “And of course the World Cup is going to happen, right? The World Cup is too big, so I hope everyone who qualifies can participate.”
