FIFA rejects Iran’s request to relocate World Cup games amid US-Israel war

Mexican President Sheinbaum says FIFA volition not relocate Iran’s fixtures from US contempt repeated requests.

FIFA has turned down Iran’s petition to relocate its World Cup matches from the United States to Mexico, citing logistical impediments, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirms.

Iran’s Football Federation (FFIRI) asked the sport’s planetary governing assemblage to determination its games retired of the US past month, but FIFA said each World Cup fixtures volition spell up arsenic scheduled, dismissing the anticipation of Mexico hosting the Iranian team.

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Sheinbaum reiterated FIFA’s stance connected Friday, saying the matches volition beryllium played successful the US arsenic planned.

“FIFA yet decided that the matches cannot beryllium moved from their archetypal venues,” Sheinbaum said astatine a quality league successful Mexico City.

“It [relocation] would marque logistics excessively complicated, and this determination was taken by FIFA,” she said.

FIFA did not respond to Al Jazeera’s petition for remark connected confirmation of big venues for Iran’s games.

The US and Israel launched a war connected Iran connected February 28, sidesplitting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and 168 radical astatine a girls schoolhouse connected the archetypal day.

Tehran responded by striking Israeli and US subject bases successful the Middle East with missiles and drones.

A Pakistan-mediated ceasefire brought the attacks to a halt connected Wednesday successful Iran and the Gulf, but Israel has continued to lb parts of Lebanon.

Iran was among the archetypal countries to suffice for the World Cup, racing to publication their spot from the Asian confederation.

Team Melli are successful Group G of the tourney with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand and are scheduled to play each of their radical games connected the US West Coast, 2 successful Los Angeles (June 15 and 21) and 1 successful Seattle (June 26).

Mexico, which is cohosting the World Cup with the US and Canada, had shown willingness to big Iran’s fixtures, but Sheinbaum’s caller comments person reaffirmed the stance of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who met Iranian shot players, coaches and officials successful Turkiye connected March 31.

“The matches volition beryllium played wherever they are expected to be, according to the draw,” Infantino said connected the sidelines of Iran’s affable lucifer against Costa Rica.

Infantino besides quelled concerns that Iran would not diagnostic astatine the adjacent variation of the World Cup astatine each aft FFIRI President Mehdi Taj said Iran would “boycott” the games successful the US.

“Iran volition beryllium astatine the World Cup. … That’s wherefore we’re here,” Infantino said successful Mexico.

“I’ve seen the team, I’ve spoken to the players and the coach, truthful everything is fine,” added Infantino, whose attendance astatine the affable was unannounced.

Last month, the FFIRI expressed fears implicit its players’ information and information successful the US aft President Donald Trump wrote successful a societal media station that it would not beryllium due for Iran to enactment successful the World Cup “for their ain beingness and safety”.

“When Trump has ⁠explicitly stated that helium cannot guarantee the information of the Iranian nationalist team, we volition surely not question to ⁠America,” Taj said successful effect to Trump.

Both countries person since exchanged indirect verbal blows connected the contented with the latest comments coming from Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali, who indicated that his country’s information successful the World Cup volition beryllium uncertain unless FIFA relocates its fixtures.