Iran to Boycott U.S. Matches at World Cup 2026, But Won’t Quit the Tournament

According to an announcement from Iran, they will not be playing in the US during the FIFA World Cup 2026, however, they have not officially withdrawn from participating in this tournament.

 This new development adds further uncertainty to a multi-national tournament set to take place in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

With Iran currently having qualified for the World Cup, the recent political unrest and concern for player safety have brought about some reconsideration with regard to playing in the U.S.

Check Out: FIFA World Cup 2026: Check Host Nations, Full Schedule, Fixtures and Teams

‘We Will Boycott America, Not the World Cup’

The Iranian football federation President, Mehdi Taj, expressed the following view, stating.

"We are boycotting America, however we are participating in the World Cup."

Taj stated that they will continue with their preparations for the World Cup, including training camps and friendly games.

Currently, Iran is scheduled to play all their group matches in the U.S., there are discussions continuing with FIFA in regard to moving the group matches to Mexico.

Iran’s Request to Shift Matches Rejected by FIFA

Iran asserted its intent to play their games in Mexico and submit its request to FIFA to relocate the matches due to the Iranian government’s concerns around potential safety issues and the logistical difficulties of having to travel from California to the West Coast of Mexico. 

Due to the logistical complexity in making such a change to the tournament schedule already developed months in advance, including venues, travel arrangements and ticketing. 

After denying Iran’s request to play its matches in Mexico, Iran appears to be taking a harder stance against playing its matches on U.S. soil at all, as it presently remains as part of the tournament.

Uncertainty Ahead of 2026 Tournament

This puts FIFA in a precarious predicament where it must weigh competing geopolitical issues against the complexity of putting together the greatest World Cup ever held.

While the Iranian government’s position is only that of symbolism and politics at this time, if the Iranian team makes it beyond the group stages into the elimination rounds.

They will undoubtedly need to play at least one match in the United States, which only adds to the uncertainty of the situation moving forward.

Iran’s defiance provides yet another layer of complexity to a tournament that has already proven to be unprecedentedly large, as it will take place over three different countries and will have the most teams and games ever played in a single World Cup.