Iran participating in World Cup, FIFA president confirms

WASHINGTON - FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Wednesday that Iran will "for sure" participate in the 2026 World Cup despite the Middle East war.

"Iran is coming for sure. We hope that by then the situation will be a peaceful situation, that would definitely help," Infantino said on broadcaster CNBC.

"But Iran has to come, they represent their people, they have qualified, the players want to play," he said of the team's upcoming matches scheduled in the United States in June.

Iran's participation in the global tournament had been thrown into doubt by the war with the United States and Israel that broke out on February 28.

"Sports should be outside of politics," Infantino said.

"If there's nobody else that believes in building bridges and keeping them intact and together, we are doing the job," he continued.

The World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, starts on June 11.