Iran name 10 conditions for playing at the World Cup as war rumbles on

The Iranian Football Federation has said that the men's national team WILL compete at the World Cup this summer - provided the tournament's joint-hosts agree to 10 conditions amid the ongoing war with the United States. Iran's status for the tournament, which kicks off next month in Mexico, has been in doubt during recent months due to the conflict in the Middle East. It emerged earlier this month that Iran will send a delegation to Fifa's headquarters for talks after Mehdi Taj, the President of the Iranian Football Federation, was unable to attend the FIFA Congress in Canada due to his affiliation with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. But despite speculation over Iran's status for the World Cup, a statement released outlines that they are planning to compete but want certain assurances from their hosts. "We will definitely participate in the 2026 World Cup, but the hosts must take our concerns into account," the Iranian federation wrote. "We will participate in the World Cup tournament, but without any retreat from our beliefs, culture, and convictions." The conditions Iran have outlined include the granting of visas, respect for the national team staff plus the Iranian flag and its national anthem. Security at airports, hotels, and travel routes to the venues that will host Iran's three group games are among the other assurances being sought. Iran, who are set to be based in Tucson, Arizona, play New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in Group G. If they participate in the tournament, their opening game will be against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15. Taj appeared on state television on Friday to discuss Iran's conditions for the World Cup. He had alluded to certain assurances being met earlier in the week. "We will tell (Fifa) what our expectations are. If ⁠they can address them, we will definitely participate," Taj said on Wednesday. "But if there is no guarantee that they will be addressed, then no one has the right to insult us or the pillars of our system. And if they continue on the path of disrespect, and even ⁠ask our players those kinds of questions, we ‌may make a different decision." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.