FIFA rejects Iran's push to move World Cup matches out of US to Mexico

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The 2026 World Cup will take place as scheduled, FIFA announced Tuesday after the Iranian ambassador and embassy in Mexico City claimed the country was negotiating with FIFA to move Iran’s three group-stage matches out of the U.S.

In a statement obtained by The Associated Press, FIFA said it is in "regular contact" with all countries competing in the upcoming tournament, which will largely take place in the U.S., but said the matches will take place as previously determined. 

Mehdi Taremi of Iran celebrates after scoring a goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers Group A game between Iran and Uzbekistan at Azadi Stadium on March 25, 2025, in Tehran, Iran. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu)

"FIFA is in regular contact with all participating member associations, including (the Islamic Republic of) Iran, to discuss planning for the FIFA World Cup 2026. FIFA is looking forward to all participating teams competing as per the match schedule announced on 6 December 2025."

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Iran is scheduled to play in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 16 and Belgium on June 21 before finishing group play against Egypt in Seattle on June 26. The U.S. is hosting the tournament with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

Iran’s ambassador to Mexico Abolfazl Pasandideh urged FIFA to move the team’s games to Mexico in comments posted Monday on the embassy website. He reportedly said that the "best situation" for Iran would be to move the team’s games to Mexico. 

FIFA’s statement Tuesday ended speculation that there would be any adjustments to the schedule, including match locations. 

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