Geopolitics is threatening the structure of the 2026 World Cup as Iran’s national soccer federation has reportedly asked FIFA to relocate the team’s group-stage games from the United States to Mexico as the U.S. and Israel escalate their attacks on the country.
Iran’s Embassy in Mexico told reporters it is in negotiations with FIFA, although soccer’s world governing body has indicated it is unwilling to move the matches just three months before the tournament begins.
During her Tuesday morning press briefing, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico is willing to host Iran’s matches against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt.
“Of course it is feasible,” Sheinbaum said. “We have diplomatic relations with every country in the world, but we will await word from FIFA before commenting further.”
Media reports indicate FIFA has rejected Iran’s request, declining Mexico’s offer to play host to the Iranian national team.
Iran’s matches are scheduled to be held in Los Angeles (June 16 and June 21) and in Seattle (June 26), but recent comments by U.S. President Donald Trump prompted the Iranians to voice concern about the security of their official entourage.
#EnLaMañanera | La presidenta @Claudiashein se refirió a la solicitud que hizo el gobierno de #Irán de que su equipo de futbol que participará en el #Mundial pueda jugar solamente en México, esto por el conflicto en Medio Oriente.https://t.co/goptIAugsn pic.twitter.com/yPgL0k2KCe
— Azteca Noticias (@AztecaNoticias) March 17, 2026
“The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety,” Trump wrote in a March 12 social media post.
In its initial response, the Iranian soccer federation said no individual could exclude a country from the World Cup, while questioning if the U.S. would be able to provide the necessary security for teams participating in the tournament this summer.
Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei also criticized Trump’s comments. “When warnings are issued at the highest level about the environment being unsafe for Iranian football players, this indicates that the host country apparently lacks the capacity and ability to provide security for such an important sporting event,” he said.
Before Trump’s comments, Iranian officials had suggested that its team might back out of the World Cup entirely after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks that killed the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader and dozens of top officials.
Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali told state TV that it was not possible to play “due to the wicked acts they have done against Iran.”
Trump’s warning appears to have hardened Iran’s position, however.
Ambassador of Iran in Mexico Abolfazl Pasandideh, who last week said, “We love Mexico very much … and had prayed that our games would be played here,” has made several pleas for FIFA to relocate Iran’s matches. “We ask the Mexican people — who are such wonderful hosts and have always been so kind to us — to follow up on this matter and ensure that our national team is based in Mexico,” he said in an interview for the political news show “Los Periodistas.”
🇮🇷🇲🇽 | Irán agradece a México llamado a la paz; abre puerta a jugar Mundial en territorio mexicano.
El embajador iraní en México manifestó el deseo de su selección de fútbol por disputar sus partidos de la Copa Mundial 2026 en territorio mexicano.
Abolfazl Pasandideh instó a un… pic.twitter.com/YV5cjbMZE0
— Alerta Mundial (@AlertaMundoNews) March 11, 2026
Shifting Iran’s fixtures to Mexico would pose a significant logistical switch for FIFA, but the Reuters news agency pointed out that relocating matches for security or geopolitical reasons is not unprecedented.
In September 2025, Scotland earned a 2-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Belarus at Zalaegerszeg near the Austrian and Slovenian borders. The game was moved over concerns about the role Belarus played as a staging ground for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a statement shared by the embassy, Iranian soccer federation president Mehdi Taj made the organization’s position clear: “When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America.”
With reports from El Financiero, The New York Times, Imer Noticias, The Mirror and Reuters
