Fifa officials are scheduled to hold further discussions on Thursday concerning the Middle East crisis amid ongoing uncertainty over Iran’s participation in this summer’s World Cup.
American and Israeli airstrikes on Iran have cast doubt on the Asian team’s involvement in the finals.
Iran are due to play all three group matches in the United States, but US president Donald Trump has stated he does not think it is "appropriate" for them to play "for their own life and safety".
The president of the Iranian football federation, Mehdi Taj, said on Tuesday his organisation was “negotiating” with FIFA to have Iran’s matches moved to Mexico, another of the co-hosts.
“When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” Taj said in a post on the Iranian embassy in Mexico's X account.
Mexico president Claudia Sheinbaum said that her country would have no problem hosting Iran’s matches if Fifa agrees.
“Mexico maintains diplomatic relations with every country in the world, therefore we will wait to see what Fifa decides,” she said after replying “yes” to whether Mexico would be happy to stage Iran’s games.
But later that day FIFA issued a statement appearing to rule out that possibility, saying it looked forward to all teams competing “as per the match schedule announced on December 6”.
That leaves an Iranian withdrawal from the tournament as the most likely outcome.
The FIFA Council is meeting on Thursday afternoon, its first gathering since the US-Israeli attacks began late last month, and while the crisis in the Gulf region is not explicitly listed on the agenda, FIFA Council members have privately told the Press Association they are sure the topic will be discussed.
Iran will kicking off their World Cup campain against New Zealand in Los Angeles on 15 June.
Indeed, there is the prospect of Iran and the US facing each other in the round of 32 in Dallas on July 3 – the day before Independence Day in the States.
