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Iran’s Embassy in Mexico on Tuesday said the country is in talks with FIFA to shift its World Cup 2026 matches from the United States to Mexico after Donald Trump raised concerns about the team’s safety while attending the tournament.

Iran pushes for Mexico switch

It was unclear whether such discussions are currently taking place with FIFA, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Iranian officials have earlier said it is the responsibility of FIFA and the United States to guarantee the team’s safety during the World Cup.

The embassy shared a statement attributed to Iranian football federation president Mehdi Taj, saying Iran wants its group stage fixtures moved to Mexico to ensure the security of players and officials.

“When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” the statement said. “We are currently negotiating with FIFA to hold Iran's matches in the World Cup in Mexico.”

World Cup schedule in doubt

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Iran are scheduled to face New Zealand on June 16 and Belgium on June 21 in Inglewood, before completing their group stage campaign against Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.

Any change in venue would be unprecedented with less than three months remaining before the start of the tournament.

Trump said last week that Iran’s team would still be welcome at the World Cup despite the ongoing tensions in the Middle East but added that “I really don't believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”

Mixed signals from Tehran

Iran has sent mixed signals about participating in the tournament after attacks by the United States and Israel reportedly killed the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei along with several senior officials.

Sports minister Ahmad Donyamali told state television last week that taking part might not be possible “due to the wicked acts they have done against Iran.”

However, after Trump’s comments, the national team posted on Instagram that “no one can exclude” them from the tournament. A government spokesperson in Tehran also stressed that ensuring security for teams remains the duty of FIFA and the United States as one of the hosts.

“FIFA is the organizer of the World Cup,” Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said.

“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.”

Football enjoys immense popularity in Iran, a nation of more than 90 million people that has qualified for seven men’s World Cups, including each of the past four editions. The team is currently ranked No. 20 in the world by FIFA, second only to Japan among Asian sides.

Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, has not commented further in recent days beyond an Instagram post last week saying he had received assurances from Donald Trump that Iran would be welcome at the tournament.

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