Iran can freely participate in the upcoming June 2026 World Cup despite escalating tensions with the USA, according to FIFA president, clearing doubts about the Islamic state’s participation in the tournament.

It will be recalled that, barely a week ago, President Donald Trump was asked about his stance on Iran’s participation in the World Cup, and he said he “does not care” while speaking during an interview with Politico on Tuesday, March 3.

“I really don’t care”. I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes,” he said.

"This evening, I met with the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, to discuss the status of preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, and the growing excitement as we are set to kick off in just 93 days," Infantino wrote on Instagram.

However, his ‘friend’ and president of the World football governing body, Gianni Infantino, has revealed that, after his outfit met with Trump, "This evening, I met with the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, to discuss the status of preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, and the growing excitement as we are set to kick off in just 93 days," Infantino wrote on Instagram.

“We also spoke about the current situation in Iran, and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026. During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.”

According to Gianni, "We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever, and I sincerely thank the President of the United States for his support, as it shows once again that Football Unites the World."

Gianni’s clarification comes at a time where the team’s participation has been cast in doubt due to the Istarli-USA corporate attack on Iran on Feb. 28.

The conflict has now drawn in other Middle East nations, with Iran retaliating by striking U.S. military bases in the region. Iran have been drawn in a group with New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt.

Iran are due to play all three of their group games in the U.S. and could even face the co-hosts in the round of 32 if both teams finish second in their respective groups.

This is the fourth consecutive time Iran have qualified for a World Cup, and they are scheduled to open their campaign against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles before their final group game against Egypt in Seattle.

The last time they qualified, they didn’t pull out of the competition despite their grappling with the effects of bomb attacks on three nuclear facilities at the time.

However, given the seriousness of their current situation, the head of Iran’s football federation, Mehdi Taj, has reportedly cast doubt on their participation.

Taj told Iranian television that it was “far from our expectations that we can look at the World Cup with hope”. He added the country’s sports officials would decide if any action was necessary.

FIFA’s general secretary, Mattias Grafstrom, said on Saturday: “Our focus is to have a safe World Cup with everybody participating.”

Meanwhile, the White House on Tuesday, January 21, announced that World Cup ticket holders can now access the priority visa appointments to travel to the United States.

This forms part of the US government’s efforts to help ticket holders secure priority visa appointment dates, as citizens of some qualified countries may otherwise be unable to obtain visas in time for the 2026 World Cup.

The FIFA Prioritised Appointment Scheduling System (FIFA PASS) is a special visa‑interview scheduling program created by the U.S. government and FIFA for the 2026 World Cup. It gives ticket holders priority access to U.S. visa appointments, ensuring fans can travel to matches in North America despite existing visa backlogs.

Speaking during a joint press briefing with FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the White House in Washington, D.C., on 17 November,last year President Donald Trump mentioned that “I’ve directed my administration to do everything within their power to make the 2026 World Cup an unprecedented success.”

The WhiteHouse however, warned that, a ticket isn’t a visa. Detailing how the ‘World’ will gain access into the US, the Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that, ticket-holders for the tournament, set for next June and July in the US, Canada and Mexico, will not be automatically granted a tourist visa.

But foreign nationals with tickets to World Cup football matches could get an interview at an embassy or consulate within six to eight weeks of applying, Rubio said.

“Your ticket is not a visa; it doesn’t guarantee admission to the US. We’re going to do the same vetting as anybody else would get. The only difference here is we’re moving them up in the queue,” the Secretary noted the first time the FIFA pass was announced in last year.