FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom has officially announced plans to meet Iranian FA officials in Istanbul this Saturday, with the aim of building confidence over Iran’s participation in the World Cup.
The Iranian team will play their group stage matches in the United States and Canada.
Meanwhile, concerns over the team’s participation in the tournament from June 11 to July 19 have increased due to rising geopolitical tensions that began after the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said in a social media post that it is FIFA’s responsibility to ensure that all teams and their delegations are admitted to the host countries.
The Iranian national football team has earned the right to participate on the field in accordance with FIFA rules,” he wrote.
“Any obstacle to the access of players, coaching staff, federation officials or essential members of the Iranian delegation would be contrary to the spirit and purpose of the World Cup.”
FIFA is working aggressively with the relevant authorities to ensure that all teams at the World Cup can compete in a protected environment.
US President Donald Trump confirmed two weeks ago that he was ‘okay’ with Iran playing in the World Cup, despite the intensity of the dispute between the countries.
Iran has proposed the idea of moving their World Cup matches to Mexico, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino has stressed that all matches must be played at the originally scheduled times and locations.
It is pertinent to note that the Iranian national team will leave Tehran for a training camp in Turkey before moving to their US base on Monday. Iran opens its World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.
