FIFA’s top official expressed confidence about Iran’s participation in this year’s World Cup following what he described as productive discussions with Iranian football leadership on Saturday.
Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom met with Iran’s FA (FFIRI) President Mehdi Taj during a visit to Istanbul, addressing ongoing concerns about the team’s involvement in the June 11 to July 19 tournament.
“We’ve had an excellent meeting and constructive meeting together with the Iran FA,” Grafstrom told Reuters. “We’re working closely together and looking very much forward to welcoming them in the FIFA World Cup.”
Iran’s World Cup participation has faced uncertainty since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February. The situation became more complicated when FFIRI’s Taj was denied entry to Canada for the FIFA Congress in Vancouver earlier this month due to his connections to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Both the U.S. and Canada, who are co-hosting the World Cup alongside Mexico, designate the IRGC as a “terrorist entity” and refuse entry to individuals with ties to the elite military organization.
While Grafstrom would not discuss specific visa arrangements for Iran’s players, he indicated that operational matters were addressed during the meeting and characterized the exchange as positive.
Taj also spoke favorably about the discussions with FIFA leadership.
“I am pleased that they listened to Iran’s points, all 10 points that we had raised, and they offered solutions for each of them. I hope, God willing, that our national team can go to the World Cup without any problems and achieve very good results there,” he said.
When pressed about whether FIFA had obtained guarantees regarding entry and visa procedures for Iran’s squad, Grafstrom remained tight-lipped.
“We’ve discussed all relevant matters, but I think it’s not the place to discuss the details,” he stated. “Overall, a very positive meeting and we’re looking forward to continuing the dialogue.”
Iran had requested that their World Cup fixtures be moved to Mexico, but FIFA President Gianni Infantino maintains that all matches must take place at their originally designated venues.
The Iranian national team is set to depart Tehran on Monday for a training camp in Turkey before relocating to their U.S. headquarters at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona in early June.
Iran’s World Cup journey begins with a match against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15. The team is also slated to face Belgium and Egypt in Group G competition.
