FIFA president Gianni Infantino says United States president Donald Trump has personally assured him that Iran will be allowed to compete at the 2026 World Cup, despite escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Iran’s place at the expanded 48-team tournament had been thrown into doubt after U.S. and Israeli air strikes on Iranian targets, followed by retaliatory attacks on American military bases in the region. The flare-up raised questions over security, logistics and the political feasibility of Iran playing matches on U.S. soil.

Trump had previously appeared indifferent, saying he “really didn’t care” whether Iran took part. But Infantino, speaking after a meeting with the president, said the message from the White House is now unequivocal: Iran’s national team will be welcomed.

Infantino described the talks in a statement posted on social media, saying he met Trump to review preparations for the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. The discussion then turned to Iran, one of Asia’s leading football nations and an early qualifier for the tournament.

According to Infantino, Trump “reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.” The FIFA chief framed the assurance as a broader endorsement of football’s role in easing geopolitical strains.

“We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever,” Infantino said, adding that the president’s stance underlined FIFA’s slogan that “Football Unites the World.”

Iran are scheduled to play all three of their group-stage matches on U.S. territory. Depending on results, they could even meet the American team in the round of 32, a prospect that would carry enormous symbolic weight given the fraught history between the two countries.

While political and security concerns remain, Infantino’s account of his conversation with Trump is intended to calm fears that Iran might be barred or forced to play its games elsewhere. For FIFA, ensuring that all qualified teams can participate as planned is central to preserving the integrity of its flagship tournament, even amid one of the most volatile geopolitical climates in recent memory.