Iran's men's national football team is preparing for a "proud and successful participation" in its World Cup matches in the United States in the middle of the year, as confirmed by the Iranian government itself.
The team's ability and willingness to travel to North America for the tournament, which begins on June 11, had been called into question after military attacks launched by the US and Israel on February 28.
Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohejerani told state TV that the country is nevertheless ready for the competition.
"The Ministry of Youth and Sports announced the full readiness of our national football team to take part in the 2026 World Cup in the US, by order of the minister." Mohejerani added that "the necessary preparations these dear [players] need for the team's proud and successful participation have been completed."
FIFA, for its part, has consistently maintained that Iran will follow the World Cup schedule set in December of last year, rejecting suggestions to move the team's matches to Mexico.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has always maintained that Iran would play in the World Cup. An important step forward came on March 31, when Infantino met with Iranian officials and players in Turkey, where the national team had been playing preparatory friendlies against Nigeria and Costa Rica.
Although the Iranian football league has been suspended due to the conflict, the national team's official Instagram account recently posted images of a training session in Tehran.
World football's governing body had pledged to help find an overseas training center for the team (possibly in Turkey itself), but FIFA has not yet confirmed the official details of that setup.
Iran has two group-stage matches scheduled at the Los Angeles Rams stadium in Inglewood, against New Zealand and Belgium, before traveling to Seattle to face Egypt.
The delegation is expected to arrive at its training base in Tucson, Arizona, by June 10, meeting FIFA's requirement to land in the host country at least five days before its opening match.
However, one significant obstacle still needs to be overcome: the issuance of entry visas by the US government for the Iranian delegation.
This includes clearance for Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian Football Federation and vice president of the Asian confederation.
In December, Taj was denied a visa and prevented from attending the World Cup draw in Washington, D.C., an event at which Infantino presented the "FIFA Peace Award" to US President Donald Trump.
The tournament, which will feature 48 national teams and is co-hosted by Mexico and Canada, is set to conclude with its final on July 19.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.