FIFA has expressed hope that Iran’s national team will participate in the 2026 World Cup according to the official match schedule.

Sky News journalist Rob Harris informed that FIFA remains in regular contact with all participating member associations, including Iran, as preparations for the tournament continue, The Caspian Post reports, citing TASS.

In a statement shared on social media, Harris said FIFA is looking forward to all qualified teams competing as scheduled.

Earlier, on March 11, Iran’s Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali suggested that the national team might skip the 2026 World Cup. However, on March 16, Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Secretary General Windsor John clarified that no official notification of withdrawal had been received from Iran.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States from June 11 to July 19. The tournament will take place across 16 cities and will be the first to feature an expanded format of 48 teams.

Iran has already qualified for the competition and was drawn into Group G, where it is set to face Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand. The team’s group-stage matches are scheduled to be played in the United States.