Iran are due to play all three group games in the US
Trump said Iran should not play for their ‘life and safety’
Iran’s football federation has said it is in discussions with Fifa about moving the team’s World Cup matches to Mexico from the United States owing to concerns about the safety of their players.
Iran’s participation was thrown into doubt after the US launched joint airstrikes at the country with Israel. Donald Trump said last week that Iran were welcome to participate but suggested it may not be appropriate for them to play in the US “for their own life and safety”.
“When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” said the president of Iran’s football federation, Mehdi Taj, in a post on the Iranian embassy in Mexico’s X account. “We are negotiating with Fifa to hold Iran’s World Cup matches in Mexico.“
