SPORTS
Fifa Appears to Rule out Moving Iran’s Matches to Mexico
Fifa appears to have ruled out moving Iran’s matches at this summer’s World Cup to Mexico from the United States.
The president of Iran’s football federation had said negotiations were under way to move fixtures in order to ensure their players’ safety.
It comes amid US and Israeli strikes on Iran, which has responded with attacks on Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf.
Fifa said in a statement it was looking forward to nations “competing as per the match schedule”.Sources said that there were no talks between Fifa and Iran over moving matches.
The US is co-hosting the World Cup, which takes place between 11 June and 19 July, with Canada and Mexico.
Iran is scheduled to face New Zealand on 16 June and Belgium on 21 June, both in Los Angeles, and Egypt in Seattle on 27 June.
Last week US President Donald Trump said that while Iran is “welcome to the World Cup”, he does not think “it is appropriate” they attend “for their own life and safety”.
“When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” said Iranianfootball federation president Mehdi Taj in a post, external on a social media account belonging to the Iranian embassy in Mexico.
“We are negotiating with Fifa to hold Iran’s World Cup matches in Mexico.”
A Fifa spokesperson said: “Fifa is in regular contact with all participating member associations, including Iran, to discuss planning for the World Cup.
“Fifa is looking forward to all participating teams competing as per the match schedule announced on 6 December 2025.”
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Iran, who has qualified for a fourth consecutive World Cup, decided not to pull out of the competition last summer when the US bombed three nuclear facilities in the country.
A recent message on the national team’s Telegram account said Fifa is the organiser of the World Cup and “not any single country”.
It added that “the country that should be removed is the one that merely carries the title of host but does not have the ability to ensure security for the teams participating in this event”. Previously, Trump has said he “does not care” if Iran takes part in the World Cup.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino subsequently said the US President had told him Iran are “welcome to compete” at this summer’s finals, despite the countries being at war. Iran’s Minister of Sports and Youth, Ahmad Donyamali, then said that “under no circumstances do we have the appropriate conditions to participate in the World Cup”.
When have matches previously been moved?
If Iran’s games were relocated to Mexico, it would not be the first time matches have been moved for safety and geopolitical reasons.
In recent times, Belarus has played their competitive home games in Hungary because of their support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
This included a World Cup qualifier against Scotland last year, which was played at the ZTE Arena in Zalaegerszeg.
In cricket, political tensions between India and Pakistan mean that the two countries will only play each other at neutral venues when they meet at ICC events.
India refused to travel to Pakistan to play in the Champions Trophy in 2025, while Pakistan played their matches in the recent T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.
Guinea will face Nigeria’s Flamingos in the final qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The Guineans defeated Niger Republic 3-0 in the second leg of their qualifying fixture in Conakry on Saturday.
They won the contest 8-2 on aggregate, following their 5-2 triumph in the first leg last week.
The winner of the Flamingos versus Guinea clash will qualify for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The Flamingos set up camp in Abuja for the clash with their fellow West Africans last week.
Newly appointed head coach, Akeem Busari invited 36 players to camp for the team’s preparation.
The Nigerian National League (NNL) side, Lobi Stars Football Club of Makurdi, has trimmed its squad and retained a few quality players to push for promotion to the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL).
Lobi Stars Chairman Simon Ikya made the disclosure in a statement signed by Austin Tyowua, Principal Media Officer to the club, and made it available to newsmen on Thursday in Makurdi.
Ikya said that the club took the decision after a meeting with all the players and technical staff at McCarthy Stadium, Makurdi.
The chairman explained that the decision was rooted in duty rather than dislike.
He stated that the players on the exit list would be granted clearance at the end of April once their entitlements were settled.
Ikya added that for those retained, there would be no room for laxity.
The chairman urged them to tighten their belts, keep the focus, and drive the Federation Cup campaign all the way to its final stop.
Meanwhile, the list of retained players was read out by the head coach, John Onuh.
The Kogi State Government has pledged to prioritise the development of basketball in the state to boost the sport’s profile and promote youth engagement.
The Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Monday Anyebe, made the pledge at the inauguration of the Kogi State Basketball Association on Tuesday in Lokoja.
Anyebe assured stakeholders of the government’s commitment to the development of basketball under the administration of Gov.
Ahmed Ododo.Represented by the Director of Sports in the state, James Igah, the commissioner said the administration would focus on nurturing basketball, particularly in rural areas, to enhance youth development.
He added that the government would collaborate with the association to promote sports development across the state.
Anyebe urged the newly inaugurated executives of the association to come up with innovative ideas to advance the sport.
Responding, the Chairman of the Kogi State Basketball Association, Mustapha Abdullahi, reaffirmed his commitment to the growth of basketball in the state.
Abdullahi, who is also the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, commended the state government for its efforts in promoting sports development.
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