Iran comply with play at World Cup on one key situation involving Donald Trump
Football chiefs say the US President must agree not to launch verbal broadsides on Iran’s military during the tournament jointly hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico
FIFA president Gianni Infantino shows Donald Trump the World Cup (Image: Getty Images)
Iran will play at the World Cup – but only on one key condition. Football chiefs say they will send a team to compete in next month’s summer soccer showpiece as long as Donald Trump agrees to show respect and does not insult their armed forces.
The Iranian Football Federation is to seek reassurance from tournament organisers FIFA that co-host America will not taunt the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – aka IRGC.
Football federation president Mehdi Taj said if the Americans ‘guarantee not to insult our military institutions and the IRGC we’ll go’.
“If they give such a guarantee that an incident like Canada doesn’t happen and they definitely assure it, we will go,” he added.
Taj was referring to an incident last week when an Iranian Football Federation delegation was turned back at Toronto’s main airport resulting in them missing a pre-World Cup FIFA gathering in Vancouver.
The delegation members – including Taj – had valid visas but were still refused entry and jetted back to Turkey on the ‘first available flight’.
The federation criticised the ‘unacceptable behaviour of immigration officials at the airport and the insult to one of the most honourable organs of the Iranian nation’s armed forces’.
In 2024 Canada – which co-hosts the tournament with the US and Mexico – listed Iran’s IRGC as a terrorist organisation. Taj was reportedly denied entry due to alleged ties with the IRGC.
The football chief will meet FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom at the organisation’s headquarters in Zurich later this month.
During the meeting he said he will seek guarantees the Iranian team and accompanying officials would not face entry restrictions or ‘disrespect’ – particularly towards its state institutions.
“We need a guarantee there, for our trip, that they have no right to insult the symbols of our system – especially the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” he said.
“This is something they must pay serious attention to.
“If there is such a guarantee and the responsibility is clearly assumed then an incident like what happened in Canada will not happen again.”
The Iranian team will have training camps at home and in neighbouring Turkey before travelling to the US.
They are due to kick off their campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, before taking on Belgium at the same stadium on June 21 and Egypt in their final group match in Seattle on June 26.
Taj insisted Iran had earned the right to play in the World Cup as one of the first teams to have qualified for the tournament.
“We are going to the World Cup because we qualified,” he said.
“Our host is FIFA – not Mr Trump or America.”
The Canadian Government said: “IRGC officials are inadmissible and have no place in our country.”
The US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran on February 28. At least 3,468 people have been killed and 26,500 injured, according to Iran’s Ministry of Health.
Iranian forces launched retaliatory attacks on neighbouring countries several of which are also set to play at the tournament.
