Mexican President Sheinbaum says FIFA will not relocate Iran’s fixtures from US despite repeated requests. Published On 12 Apr 202612 Apr 2026FIFA has turned down Iran’s request to relocate its World Cup matches from the United States to Mexico, citing logistical impediments, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirms.Iran’s Football Federation (FFIRI) asked the sport’s global governing body to move its games out of the US last month, but FIFA said all World Cup fixtures will go ahead as scheduled, dismissing the possibility of Mexico hosting the Iranian team.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listSheinbaum reiterated FIFA’s stance on Friday, saying the matches will be played in the US as planned.“FIFA ultimately decided that the matches cannot be moved from their original venues,” Sheinbaum said at a news conference in Mexico City.“It [relocation] would make logistics too complicated, and this decision was taken by FIFA,” she said.FIFA did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on confirmation of host venues for Iran’s games.The US and Israel launched a war on Iran on February 28, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and 168 people at a girls school on the first day.Tehran responded by striking Israeli and US military bases in the Middle East with missiles and drones.A Pakistan-mediated ceasefire brought the attacks to a halt on Wednesday in Iran and the Gulf, but Israel has continued to pound parts of Lebanon.Iran was among the first countries to qualify for the World Cup, racing to book their spot from the Asian confederation.Team Melli are in Group G of the tournament with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand and are scheduled to play all of their group games on the US West Coast, two in Los Angeles (June 15 and 21) and one in Seattle (June 26).Mexico, which is cohosting the World Cup with the US and Canada, had shown willingness to host Iran’s fixtures, but Sheinbaum’s recent comments have reaffirmed the stance of FIFA President …
