The Iranian government will decide whether the national team will play the World Cup as soon as it receives a response from Fifa regarding the transfer of their matches, the country’s Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali has said.
The Football Federation of Iran (FFIRI) has been pushing to move three of the team’s World Cup group stage matches from the United States to Mexico, citing the involvement of the US military and Israel in the strikes that fueled the ongoing war in the region.
Last month, the federation said it was in talks with Fifa about changing the stadium, with Iran’s sports ministry banning national and club teams from traveling to countries it deems hostile until further notice.
However, Fifa president Gianni Infantino said last week that Iran will play their matches as scheduled.
“Our request to Fifa to move Iran’s games from the United States to Mexico is still valid, but we have not yet received an answer,” Donyamali told Turkish news agency Anadolu in an interview published over the weekend.
“If accepted, Iran’s participation in the World Cup will be guaranteed. However, Fifa has not yet responded.
