Iran lobbying to move World Cup matches in LA, Seattle to Mexico

Tehran cites security concerns after Trump says safety cannot be assured

Iran wants FIFA to move its World Cup matches this summer from the United States to Mexico.

That's according to the X account of Iran's embassy in Mexico, which posted a statement late Monday night attributed to Medhi Taj, president of the Iranian Football Federation. The statement was a reaction to President Donald Trump saying the US cannot assure the team's safety as the two nations are at war and that perhaps Iran -- while welcome -- should stay home.

"When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America," the statement read. "We are currently negotiating with FIFA to hold Iran's matches in the World Cup in Mexico."

The United States, Canada and Mexico are working together to host the World Cup from Jun 11 to Jul 19, with the bulk of the matches scheduled to be played in the US Iran currently is on the docket to meet Belgium and New Zealand in Los Angeles and Egypt in Seattle during group play.

A spokesperson for FIFA told The Athletic that the matches remain as scheduled.

"FIFA is in regular contact with all participating member associations, including IR Iran, to discuss planning for the FIFA World Cup 2026," the spokesperson said. "FIFA is looking forward to all participating teams competing as per the match schedule announced on 6 Dec 2025."

New Zealand's football federation said in a statement to The Athletic that the national team is " preparing to play Iran in LA in our opening game and will continue to plan for this until we hear otherwise," the federation said in a statement