FIFA Calls Iran to Zurich by May 20 to Finalize World Cup Plan

The talks aim to resolve security, visa and protocol questions that still cloud Iran’s U.S.-based group matches.

Overview

FIFA invited Iran’s football federation to meet at its Zurich headquarters before May 20 to prepare and confirm the team’s World Cup participation.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has repeatedly said Iran will play its group games in the United States, and U.S. President Donald Trump said he agrees the team should be allowed to play.
Iranian officials had discussed a boycott and asked to shift the matches to Mexico, but FIFA rejected the relocation request.
The issue has been sharpened by a canceled trip to the FIFA Congress in Vancouver after a dispute with Canadian immigration officers and by Canada’s terrorist designation of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, a group tied to federation president Mehdi Taj.
Iran is scheduled to face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles and Egypt in Seattle and to base in Tucson, Arizona, with final logistics expected to be settled in the Zurich meeting.