Iran's Sports and Youth Minister Ahmad Donyamali on Tuesday called on United States authorities to treat the national football team with "respect" during the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, warning that Tehran would not accept what he described as unfair treatment of the delegation.
Donyamali told Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency that the Americans should host the national side in a "special manner," adding that Washington was aware Tehran would not accept unfair treatment. He stated that respectful hosting remained essential despite the political tensions between the two nations.
The minister noted that most obstacles facing the Iranian delegation were being resolved, including visa delays affecting some technical and administrative staff. Iranian authorities have informed FIFA that team officials should be permitted to respond if unauthorized flags are displayed or slogans targeting the squad are chanted during matches, he added.
Tehran received assurances that no such incidents would occur during Iran's Group G matches against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt, Donyamali said. The team will be based in the Mexican border city of Tijuana during the tournament, travelling to the US for group-stage fixtures at the 2026 finals co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.
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