FIFA President Gianni Infantino pledged his support for Iran's World Cup participation during a surprise appearance at their training camp in Turkey.
Infantino attended Iran's 5-0 friendly win over Costa Rica in Antalya. He was quoted by Iranian media saying, "I am very pleased that the Iran national team is currently holding its training camp... Iran has qualified for the World Cup and will play in the tournament."
The FIFA President pledged personal action: "Personally, I will do whatever I can to make sure everything is in order." He steered clear of wider political disputes, stating they were "not pursuing politics."
Iran's participation is in limbo due to Middle East tensions. The country's federation is pushing FIFA to relocate its Group G matches from the United States to Mexico, citing American military involvement alongside Israel. Iran's Sports Ministry has also banned national teams from traveling to countries it considers hostile.
FIFA has maintained it expects all teams to compete as per the December match schedule. Iran is scheduled to play Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand in Los Angeles and Seattle.