FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Wednesday that Iran will nevertheless “certainly” participate in the World Cup war with the United States.
Speaking at CNBC’s Invest in America Forum, Infantino said it is important for Iran to participate in the World Cup, even though its participation has been in doubt since the US and Israel launched airstrikes on the country.
“The Iranian team will definitely come, yes,” Infantino said. “We hope that by then the situation will of course be a peaceful situation. As I said, that would certainly help. But Iran has to come. Of course they represent their people. They have qualified. The players want to play.”
Infantino meeting with the Iranian national team in Antalya, Turkey, two weeks ago and said Wednesday he was impressed.
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“I went to them. They’re actually a pretty good team too,” Infantino said. “And they really want to play and they have to play. Sports should now be outside politics.”
Infantino acknowledged that it is not always possible to achieve the separation between sports and politics.
“Okay, we don’t live on the moon, we live on planet Earth,” Infantino said. “But you know, if there’s no one else who believes in building bridges and keeping them intact and together, then we’ll do that work.”
The United States will host the World Cup together with Canada and Mexico.
Iran is scheduled to play two group stage matches in Inglewood, California, and one in Seattle.
The war has raised doubts about Iran’s participation in the World Cup. There have been conflicting public comments from the Iranian government and football officials. US President Donald Trump discouraged the Iranian team declined to attend the tournament due to security concerns.
