Gianni Infantino, the President of FIFA, has reaffirmed his stance on Iran’s presence at the World Cup. This comes after statements from Iranian government and football federation officials suggested their chances of competing in the United States were “very slim.” Speaking to CNBC, Infantino confidently stated, “The Iranian team is definitely coming, yes.”
Infantino, who has previously aligned with Donald Trump, expressed his hope for a peaceful resolution to geopolitical tensions before the tournament commences in less than two months. “We hope that by then, of course, the situation will be peaceful. As I said, this would undoubtedly help us. But Iran must come. Of course, they represent their people. They have qualified. The players want to play,” he remarked.
Infantino, who presented Trump with the inaugural ‘FIFA Peace Prize’ last December, stressed that “sport should be outside of politics” and that FIFA is committed to “building bridges and keeping them intact and together.”
The Iranian national team is scheduled to play against New Zealand on June 16th, Belgium on June 21st, and Egypt on June 27th in Seattle and Los Angeles.